]  HT 
V53 


UC-NRLF 


©fye  Hmwersttg  of  (Sljtrarjn 

FOUNDED  BY  JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER 


SOCIAL  SURVEYS  OF  URBAN 
COMMUNITIES 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY  OF  THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL  OF 

ARTS  AND  LITERATURE  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

(DEPARTMENT  OF  SOCIOLOGY) 


BY 

MANUEL  CONRAD  ELMER 


MENASHA,  WIS. 

THE  COLLEGIATE  PRESS 

GEORGE  BANTA  PUBLISHING  CO. 

1914 


CONTENTS 


Need  of  a  Comprehensive  Social  Survey 1 

Classification  of  Social  Surveys 8 

Suggestions  for  a  City  Survey 27 

Community  Survey 31 

Conclusion 70 

Bibliography 71 


NEED   OF  A   COMPREHENSIVE   SOCIAL   SURVEY. 

Every  succeeding  generation  brings  with  it  changes  which  give  it  a 
distinctive  mark  in  history;  but  no  greater  achievements  are  recorded 
than  were  accomplished  in  this  country  during  the  past  century.  We 
are  moving  today  with  impulsive  speed.  The  problems  we  need  to 
solve  are  not  the  ones  discussed  two  or  three  generations  ago.  Each 
day  new  issues  are  swept  in  upon  us  which  must  be  met  at  once,  while 
the  experience  gained  in  solving  the  problems  of  past  generations  bears 
upon  the  new  issue  only  in  an  indirect  way.  Aided  by  the  great  natural 
resources  of  the  country,  and  the  inventions  which  led  to  our  present 
systems  of  rapid  transportation  and  communication,  we  have  erected 
upon  places  which  but  a  short  time  ago  were  almost  impenetrable  forests, 
or  marshes  reeking  with  malaria,  cities  which  are  the  homes  of  millions 
of  people  who  have  come  to  this  country  from  all  quarters  of  the  world 
seeking  to  better  their  condition  of  life. 

In  1800  only  2V£%  of  the  people  of  this  country  lived  in  cities 
of  over  20,000  inhabitants,  while  in  1900  over  33%  of  the  population  of 
the  United  States  lived  in  such  cities.  Where  fifty  years  ago  there  were 
villages  and  trading  posts,  there  are  today  cities  whose  population  runs 
from  hundreds  of  thousands  to  millions, — cities  whose  serious  problems 
have  multiplied  as  rapidly  as  their  population.  The  industrial  progress 
of  our  country  has  entirely  revolutionized  our  methods  of  life.  It  has 
resulted  in  so  magnifying  and  complicating  every  social,  political  and 
economic  situation  that  men  have  not  yet  learned  how  to  adjust  life 
to  them.  The  thousands  of  immigrants  have  developed  in  our  cities  con- 
ditions which  are  deeper  and  of  more  vital  importance  than  the  mere 
surface  problems  of  housing,  sanitation,  and  economic  mal-adjustment 
generally.  They  have  brought  from  every  country,  almost  every  hamlet 
in  the  world,  traditions,  desires,  habits  and  thoughts  of  life  which  are 
their  heritage  from  past  centuries,  and  which  are  bound  to  exert  influences 
upon  their  new  surroundings,  which  act  and  react  upon  each  other, 
and  to  a  perhaps  unsuspected  degree  may  determine  the  type  of  the  fu- 
ture American.  What  these  forces  are,  and  how  they  affect  the  lives 
of  the  people  when  transplanted  to  this  new  American  soil,  can  only 
be  observed  by  the  most  careful  study  of  all  the  social  activities  of  the 


2  SOCIAL   SURVEYS    OF    I  KHAN   COMMUNITIES 

people.  In  short,  before  it  is  possible  to  decide  upon  an  intelligent  and 
constructive  method  of  procedure,  a  careful  and  comprehensive  social 
survey  of  the  community  under  consideration  must  be  made. 

It  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  that  we  have  begun  to  observe 
the  terrible  waste  which  is  taking  place  in  the  process  of  transforming 
the  products  of  our  natural  resources  to  meet  our  needs.  With  the 
awakening  to  the  situation,  there  have  sprung  into  existence  in  every 
part  of  the  country  movements  to  stop  this  needless  waste.  In  almost 
every  state  commissions  have  been  formed, — the  national  government 
has  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  movement,  and  today  with  the  coopera- 
tion and  correlation  of  the  various  phases  of  the  movement,  the  waste  in 
our  natural  resources  is  rapidly  being  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

Seemingly  as  a  result  of  the  agitation  for  the  conservation  of  our 
material  resources,  the  people  of  this  country  are  rapidly  awakening  to 
the  wasteful  and  entirely  unnecessary  leakage  in  our  human  resources. 
They  are  beginning  to  see  that  the  waste  of  material  resources  is  negli- 
gible when  compared  with  the  waste  and  destruction  of  the  social  world. 
They  have  begun  to  see,  not  only  the  thousands  of  unnecessary  and  pre- 
mature deaths,— but  also  that  in  every  community  there  are  lives  which 
are  stunted,  or  idled  away  because  there  is  no  available  opportunity  to 
develop  them.  Human  life  and  human  achievement  have  been  all  too 
frequently  burdened  by  the  neglect  and  self-interest  of  business  and 
industry,  and  by  indifference  and  ignorance  in  regard  to  our  political 
affairs.  However,  men  are  beginning  to  realize  that  our  social  insti- 
tutions have  not  progressed  as  have  our  various  industries.  Whereas, 
the  institutions  affecting  our  industrial  life  have  combined  into  great 
organizations  in  which  every  effort  put  forth  is  used  to  the  very  best 
advantage,  the  institutions  affecting  our  social  life  are  largely  unorgan- 
ized, independent  and  often  conflicting  bodies.  Consequently,  the 
efforts  of  the  social  organizations,  while  frequently  of  inestimable  value 
in  themselves,  overlap  and  in  numerous  cases  counteract  each  other, 
and,  what  is  of  greater  importance, — these  competing  bodies,  in  their 
race  to  be  the  first  in  the  same  particularly  spectacular  field  of  reform 
work,  frequently  overlook  the  real  source  of  the  leakage  they  are  attempt- 
ing to  stop.  Since  this  has  been  the  case  so  long,  it  is  a  gratifying  sign 
of  progress  that  at  length  we  are  aroused  to  the  necessity  of  greater  in- 
telligence for  the  guidance  of  our  well-meant  but  sometimes  misdirected 
efforts. 


NEED   OF   A   COMPREHENSIVE   SOCIAL   SURVEY  6 

Never  before  was  there  a  time  when  there  was  so  general  a  movement 
to  understand  social  conditions  as  now  exists.  In  almost  every  city  of 
any  importance  investigations  are  being  carried  on  in  some  field  or  other.1 
The  organization  carrying  on  the  project  may  be  a  church  making  a 
survey  of  its  particular  community, — a  civic  league  making  an  investi- 
gation of  the  industrial  situation, — a  charitable  organization  investi- 
gating the  poor  quarters  of  the  city, — a  department  of  health  making 
a  sanitary  survey, — or  it  may  be  an  intensive  survey  of  the  industries  and 
living  conditions  as  carried  on  in  London,  Pittsburgh,  Buffalo  or  Birming- 
ham, Alabama.  But  whatever  the  source  of  the  particular  movement 
may  be,  the  number  and  variety  of  surveys  that  are  being  contemplated 
and  made  throughout  the  country  indicate  that  there  is  a  general  demand 
arising  to  have  some  accurate  information  in  regard  to  existing  conditions. 

Here  as  in  all  new  undertakings,  notwithstanding  the  vast  amount 
of  data  collected,  it  is  impossible  to  make  the  most  advantageous  use  of 
it;  hence,  in  comparison  with  the  effort  expended,  very  little  of  lasting 
value  is  accomplished .  The  fault  is  not  so  much  in  the  lack  of  energy,  as  it  is 
in  misapplied  energy.  And  even  though  the  efforts  toward  a  better  social 
understanding  are  of  considerable  local  importance,  the  diversity  of 
interests  directing  the  various  surveys,  and  the  variety  of  methods 
used  in  making  such  investigations,  tends  to  materially  decrease  the 
value  of  the  data  gathered  for  the  general  scientific  study  of  society. 
Nor  are  these  local  movements  always  of  the  greatest  practical  value  in 
remedying  the  community's  immediate  needs.  Too  often  a  group  of 
people,  stirred  by  some  particular  abnormal  feature  brought  vividly  to 
their  attention,  begin  to  agitate  along  that  particular  line,  without  any 
knowledge  of  the  community  as  a  whole  and  consequently  to  little 
purpose;  while  if  they  did  their  work  in  collaboration  with  some  already 
existing  agency,  the  results  accomplished  would  be  far  greater  than  those 
now  obtained  and  would  have  more  lasting  value  to  the  community, 
with  less  expenditure  of  time  and  money.  If  a  complete  and  thorough 
survey  were  made  before  attempting  to  inaugurate  a  reform  movement, — 
instead  of  trying  to  stop  the  stream  of  social  disorders  by  damming  it 
in  its  course, — the  source  of  the  undesirable  and  harmful  conditions 
would  be  discovered  and  all  efforts  might  then  be  directed  toward  the 
place  where  they  would  be  of  greatest  service.     In  speaking  of  the  neglect 

1  "Spread  of  the  Survey  Idea,"  Paul  U.  Kellogg,  Director  of  Pittsburgh  Survey, 
1907-09.  The  Social  Survey,  Department  of  Surveys  and  Exhibits,  Russell  Sage 
Foundation,  2nd  Edition. 


J 


4  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

often  shown  by  agencies  in  acquainting  themselves  with  the  entire  local 
situation  before  selecting  their  particular  field  of  activity,  Miss  Byington 
tells  of  one  small  city  which  had  a  tuberculosis  relief  society  with  a  paid 
worker  on  half  time  who  dealt  in  a  year  with  thirty-seven  cases  of  tuber- 
culosis. It  had  no  housing  committee,  and  no  ordinance  compelling 
sewer  connection  for  the  houses,  although  more  cases  of  typhoid  than 
tuberculosis  were  reported  each  year.  There  was  an  Associated  Charity 
organization  in  this  place  which  should  have  handled  both  tasks  through 
special  committees,  but  which  confined  itself  to  superficial  relief  work.2 

The  object  of  a  social  survey  should  be  not  merely  to  gather  all  the 
facts  pertaining  to  the  social  life  of  the  community;  but  far  more  to 
correlate  these  facts  and  to  make  progress  toward  the  discovery  of  the 
underlying  causes  by  which  they  are  molded  and  their  effect  upon  each 
other.  It  should  be  more  than  a  collection  of  unwarranted  beliefs  and 
current  opinions,  second-hand  information  and  perhaps  a  generally 
superficial,  unscientific  investigation.  A  survey  sshould  help  one  to 
know  his  community  sufficiently  well  to  enable  him  to  take  a  broad 
comprehensive  view  of  its  social  conditions.  It  should  disclose  facts, 
their  interrelation  and  bearing, — and  the  forces  within  the  social  group 
under  consideration,  which  determine  its  activities. 

In  order  to  be  of  the  greatest  possible  value, asocial  survey  must  recog- 
nize all  of  the  activities  within  the  community, — and  all  of  the  conditions 
which  in  any  way  have  a  bearing  upon  these  activities.3  It  cannot  be 
of  the  greatest  worth,  and  in  fact  in  a  strict  sense,  cannot  claim  to  be  a 
social  survey  of  a  community  unless  it  covers  as  far  as  possible  all  phases 
of  the  community's  life.  It  must  be  more  than  an  investigation  of  the 
social  disorders;  it  must  be  a  thorough  study  of  the  normal  social  life  as 
well.  The  existing  conditions  and  activities  within  the  normal  life  of  a 
group  of  people,  are  the  most  important  factors  in  determining  the  char- 
acter of  the  group.  But  because  the  social  disorders  flare  up  so  vividly, 
— they  are  too  often  given  undue  attention.  Not  until  we  carefully 
balance  the  good  with  the  bad  are  we  able  to  determine  what  are  the  real 
forces  effecting  the  life  of  the  community.  Furthermore,  it  is  impossible 
adequately  to  study  any  one  phase  of  the  community's  life,  without 

1  What  Social  Workers  Should  Know  About  Their  Own  Communities,  First  Edi- 
tion; Charities'  Organization  Department,  Russell  Sage  Foundation. 

*  Riley,  Thos.  J.,  "Sociology  and  Social  Survey,"  American  Journal  of  Sociology 
Vol.  16;  Daniels,  "Social  Surveys,  Reasons,  Methods,  and  Results,"  National  Conf. 
Char.  andCorr.,  1910. 


NEED   OF   A   COMPREHENSIVE   SOCIAL  SURVEY  5 

giving  due  weight  to  all  the  interrelated  activities.4  In  order  to  study 
such  abnormal  social  activities  as  vice  and  crime,  we  must  have  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  poverty,  housing,  working  conditions,  means  of  recreation, 
educational  facilities  and  moral  and  social  traditions.  Similarly,  each 
of  these  forms  must  be  studied  in  connection  with  other  conditions  and 
activities.  For  example,  one  cannot  understand  poverty  if  studied 
apart  from  industry,  sanitation,  housing,  household  budget,  sickness, 
family  conditions,  social  customs  and  methods  of  poor  relief.  There  is 
not  a  problem  in  the  entire  field  of  social  interests  which  can  be  studied 
as  an  isolated  problem,  if  the  best  results  are  to  be  obtained.  One 
cannot  make  a  comparison  of  the  death-rate  of  two  communities 
without  knowing  about  the  races  concerned,  climate,  diet  and  occupa- 
tion followed  by  the  majority  of  each  community's  inhabitants, — in 
addition  to  a  knowledge  of  the  general  sanitary  conditions  prevailing. 
There  may  likewise  be  certain  factors  which  affect  the  death-rate,  which 
are  just  the  opposite  of  what  would  naturally  be  expected.  Thus, 
cities  in  some  of  the  dry  western  states,  as  Arizona  and  New  Mexico, 
may  have  an  exceptionally  high  death-rate  from  tuberculosis,5 — not  be- 
cause the  climatic  conditions  there  aggravate  the  disease,  but  rather, 
because  the  conditions  there  are  so  favorable  that  many  persons  beyond 
hope  of  recovery  go  there  and  die.  Hence,  the  study  of  disease  and  the 
death-rate  alone  cannot  be  taken  as  an  accurate  measure  of  the  communi- 
ty's health,  any  more  than  can  the  "plague  spots"  of  a  city  be  taken  to 
indicate  its  general  moral   tone. 

The  rapid  change  in  the  size,  the  industrial  character  and  the  racial 
makeup  of  the  population  of  even  our  smaller  towns  and  cities,  makes 
a  study  of  these  social  groups  of  vastly  greater  importance  than  we  are 
at  first  likely  to  imagine.  Generally  we  connect  the  idea  of  social  dis- 
order with  large  centers  of  population  only,  and  entirely  overlook  the 
very  same  conditions  existing  on  a  smaller  scale  in  our  small  cities.  It 
is  no  doubt  true  that  the  average  person,  living  in  the  country  at  lar<j;e, 
knows  more  about  the  existence  of  slums  in  our  great  cities,  than  he  does 
about  very  similar  conditions  in  his  own  community.  We  are  all  familiar 
with  cities  where  it  was  thought  there  was  no  industrial  or  housing  problem, 
nor  any  great  necessity  for  poor  relief,  yet,  where  upon  making  an  investi- 
gation they  were  astounded  at  the  extent  of  these  problems.     One  small 

4  Hunter,  R.,  Poverty;  Devine,  Misery  and  Its  causes. 

*  In  1912  the  percentage  of  deaths  from  tuberculosis  was  nearly  twice  as  great  in 
Colorado  as  in  New  York. 


6  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

city  in  Illinois,  of  about  4,000  inhabitants,  had  a  charity  organization 
which  did  relief  work  in  a  neighboring  city,  because  it  was  thought  there 
was  no  local  problem.  However,  almost  before  it  was  realized  a  colony 
of  about  400  Slavs  had  grown  up  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  Most  of 
them  were  men  without  families,  who  were  attracted  there  by  opportuni- 
ty for  labor  in  a  factory  located  at  that  place.  They  crowded  together 
in  dilapidated  buildings,  (a  deserted  brewery,  an  old  disused  hotel  and 
several  unused  store  buildings)  in  a  manner  which  could  hardly  have 
been  duplicated  in  a  large  city;  but  the  problem  was  so  near  home,  and  the 
local  race  and  class  prejudice  was  so  high,  that  apparently  no  interest 
was  taken  toward  improving  their  condition.  Similar  conditions  a 
little  farther  from  home  would  have  been  given  at  least  some  of  the  atten- 
tion merited.  Or,  take  another  urban  community,  a  university  town, 
having  a  population  of  from  18,000  to  20,000  inhabitants,  located  in 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  regions  of  the  country.  There  was  no  organ- 
ized charity  and  any  agitation  for  organizing  was  considered  unnecessary, 
since  it  was  thought  there  was  no  need  whatever.  Finally,  the  organiza- 
tion was  accomplished, — a  paid  secretary  installed,  and  in  one  month  92 
families  were  administered  to, — in  four  months  1,042  cases  were  brought 
to  the  attention  and  care  of  the  organization.  A  partial  survey  of  the 
community  revealed  housing  conditions  which  could  hardly  have  existed 
in  a  large  city, — a  large  number  of  people  (in  certain  sections  of  the  city, 
practically  all)  were  using  water  from  open  wells  varying  from  7  to  18 
feet  deep, — and  the  typhoid  rate  was  three  times  as  great  as  in  Chicago. 
To  the  amazement  of  the  citizens,  practically  every  form  of  degeneracy 
found  in  a  large  city  was  disclosed,  which  could  very  easily  be  handled 
when  once  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  proper  authorities.  In  nearly 
every  town  there  are  conditions  which  are  duplicates  on  a  smaller  scale 
of  the  conditions  in  our  large  cities,  where  they  are  notorious  merely 
because  of  their  magnitude,  yet  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  city,  the 
problem  of  the  small  town  may  be  just  as  great  a  menace.  It  is  evident 
that  the  general  social  conditions  and  activities  of  small  communities 
should  be  carefully  studied,  not  only  because  they  throw  light  upon  our 
city  problems  by  showing  them  up  in  a  more  simple  form,  but  rather  be- 
cause they  are  in  themselves  of  decided  importance  in  the  life  of  the 
community.  Social  disorders  like  physical  disorders  are  bound  to  grow 
if  not  checked.  As  the  social  disorders  grow,  they  soon  affect,  not 
only  the  efficiency  of  the  local  community,  but  those  who  become 
stunted  physically  and  morally  by  those  conditions,  drift  toward  the 
slums  of  the  large  centers  of  population, — become  a  part  of  the  great 


NEED   OF  A   COMPREHENSIVE   SOCIAL  SURVEY  7 

army  of  periodically  dependent  or  unemployed,  or  become  wards  of  the 
state  or  county  in  some  of  its  penal  or  charitable  institutions. 

Obviously  there  is  need  for  social  surveys,  not  only  in  our  large  cities, 
but  in  middle  sized  cities  and  small  towns  as  well,  for  they  are  the  foun- 
tain-heads which  are  sending  a  steady  stream  of  people  to  the  great 
centers  of  population.  This  stream  may  include  some  of  the  "  best 
blood"  of  the  small  community,  as  is  generally  stated, — but  it  also  con- 
tains the  worst.  That  class  which  is  unable  to  secure  a  foothold  in  the 
country  and  small  town,  drifts  about  from  place  to  place,  and  finally 
lands  in  the  slums  of  the  great  city.  However,  in  order  to  do  really 
constructive  work, — to  secure  the  best  results  from  the  various  institu- 
tions already  at  work  in  the  community, — to  lay  the  foundation  which  will 
serve  as  the  basis  for  constructive  civic  development  for  years  to  come,  it 
is  necessary  to  make  a  comprehensive  social  survey  of  the  community 
in  which  we  wish  to  work.  We  must  have  a  knowledge  of  the  political 
and  industrial  situation,  of  public  and  private  educational,  religious  and 
recreational  institutions, — in  short,  to  do  anything  of  lasting  value,  we 
must  know  all  the  general  social  conditions  and  activities  as  a  whole. 


CLASSIFICATION    OF    SOCIAL    SURVEYS 

In  order  to  make  a  study  of  the  methods  which  have  been  suggested, 
or  which  have  been  used  in  making  a  social  survey  of  a  community,  it 
is  desirable  to  have  some  basis  for  classification.  It  is  difficult  to  make 
such  a  classification  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  not  only  because  of  the 
great  number  of  surveys  which  have  been  made,  but  because  of  the  great 
variety  of  schedules  used.  However,  there  are  some  distinctive  features 
which  make  it  possible  to  arrange  the  more  important  surveys  into 
three  distinct  groups. 

I.  The  investigations  dealing  with  or  relating  to  some  particular 
phase  of  community  life,  such  as  are  usually  carried  on  by  charity  or- 
ganizations, housing  associations,  church  federations,  vice  commissions, 
and  in  making  sanitary  and  food  surveys.  In  this  class  no  comprehen- 
sive schedules  are  followed.  The  organization  making  the  survey  stands 
for  the  solution  of  some  particular  problem  which  is  either  becoming  a 
menace  to  the  community,  or  concerning  which  public  sentiment  has 
been  greatly  aroused.  While  the  surveys  following  a  schedule  of  the 
first  class  may  make  a  careful  and  detailed  study  of  the  particular 
activities  and  conditions  investigated,  the  lack  of  information  concerning 
the  interrelated  activities  and  the  indirectly  conditioning  phenomena 
serves  as  a  decided  check  upon  the  constructive  effort  resulting  from  the 
survey.  The  survey  is  necessarily  not  only  of  less  scientific  value  than 
if  more  comprehensive, — but  as  a  rule  it  does  not  afford  sufficient  back- 
ground for  the  successful  handling  of  that  specific  problem. 

II.  In  the  second  group  we  have  placed  those  surveys  which  consist 
principally  of  historical  and  broadly  descriptive  monographs  of  communi- 
ties. The  schedules  followed  in  this  group  are  much  more  comprehensive 
than  those  of  the  first  group,  but  the  viewpoint  is  largely  historical  and  the 
field  is  covered  from  that  angle,  hence  they  do  not  conform  strictly  to  the 
term  "social  survey"  as  used  in  this  discussion. 

III.  The  studies  and  schedules  in  the  third  group  are  of  a  more  or 
less  comprehensive  nature,  and  make  an  intensive  study  of  several 
interrelated  conditions  and  activities  of  the  community  and  of  their 
bearing  upon  each  other,  having  the  definite  purpose  of  bringing  about 
needed  changes  and  increasing  the  general  efficiency  of  the  community. 

Some  of  the  Leading  studies  of  each  group  are  included  here,  in  order 
to  show  the  chanu  Ur  of  the  most  typical  surveys  which  have  been  made, 
and  to  indicate  the  general  trend  they  have  taken.     It  is   further  hoped 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  9 

that  the  need  of  adopting  some  uniform,  comprehensive  scheme  of  classi- 
fying social  phenomena  may  be  shown,  by  this  variegated  collection  of 
schedules.  It  will  be  readily  admitted  that  if  some  uniform  basis  of  class- 
ification were  adopted  the  scientific  value  of  these  numerous  investiga- 
tions would  more  than  outweigh  the  results  obtained  by  them  under  pres- 
ent conditions. 

I.  We  will  first  consider  a  few  of  the  investigations  in  the  first 
group  which  are  limited  as  a  rule  to  a  study  of  an  individual  problem 
treated  very  largely  as  a  unit  by  itself.  They  will  serve  to  show  the  var- 
ious types  of  investigations  that  are  being  carried  on,  and  the  difficulty 
that  would  attend  any  attempt  to  compare  the  results  of  investigations 
of  similar  subjects  because  of  the  lack  of  uniformity  among  them. 

Some  very  excellent  surveys  have  been  made  of  Rural  Communities 
dealing  with  the  situation  from  various  points  of  view.  A  typical  survey 
from  the  Economic  viewpoint  is  the  Survey  of  a  Rural  Township  in 
Southern  Minnesota  by  C.  W.  Thompson  and  G.  P.  Warber.  It  touches 
many  of  the  interrelated  economic  and  social  problems  as  they  present 
themselves  to  the  rural  population.  Likewise  a  Community  Survey  by 
A.  W.  Nolan  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  suggests  a  study  of  Rural  and 
Village  Communities  along  three  lines,  1.  Farm  and  Home;  2.  Commun- 
ity Life;   3.  Organization. 

In  Germany  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  and  the  "  Verein  fur  Social- 
politik"  made  some  rural  investigations,  which  were  likewise  along 
economic  lines,  without  much  attention  being  given  to  any  other  phases 
of  life,  although  there  was  some  attempt  to  show  the  interdependence 
of  the  economic  and  all  other  social  activities  of   rural  communities.1 

The  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  of  New  York  City  has  carried  on 
many  very  successful  administrative  surveys  in  cities  of  varying  sizes. 
The  organization  was  founded  and  financed  by  public  spirited  citizens 
of  New  York  City  and  was  started  primarily  to  examine  into  the  efficiency 
and  make  an  analysis  of  the  administration  of  their  own  city.  The 
success  of  the  Bureau  from  its  very  beginning,  resulted  in  its  experts 
being  called  upon  by  cities  in  other  parts  of  the  country  to  work  in 
connection  with  local  bodies,  among  them  being  Atlanta,  Georgia; 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  Portland,  Oregon;  Toronto,  Ontario;  and  many 
smaller  cities.  The  lines  of  inquiry  especially  emphasized  are,  1.  Or- 
ganization, 2.  Financial  methods,  3.  Assessment,  collection  of  taxes, 
accounting,  etc.,  and  4.  Highways,  sewers,  buildings  and  other  utilities.2 

1  Schriflen  des  Verein  fur  Social politik,  XXII,  1883. 

1  See  Bulletin  No.  43,  May  16,  1914,  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 


10  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

For  several  vears  the  Board  of  Public  Welfare  of  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
has  been  carrying  on  a  series  of  systematic  investigations.  At  first 
these  investigations  did  not  fit  into  any  definite  scheme  to  be  followed 
for  a  period  of  years.  The  personnel  of  the  Board,  however,  was  com- 
posed of  men  who  kept  in  close  touch  with  the  city's  conditions, — and 
accordingly  investigated  problems  apparently  most  needing  attention. 
In  1913  this  Bureau  published  a  Social  Prospectus  of  Kansas  City, 
drawing  its  conclusion  in  part  from  the  reports  given  from  time  to  time 
of  its  investigations,  and  in  part  from  special  studies  made  especially 
for  this  Prospectus.  The  work  of  the  past  years  had  revealed  the  fact 
that  some  basis  for  work  extending  over  a  period  of  years  must  be  reached. 
Hence,  this  survey  was  prepared,  not  to  be  presented  as  a  thorough 
study,  "but  as  a  mere  preface  to  a  vast  amount  of  research  work  necessary 
to  the  comprehensive  understanding  of  a  field  so  extensive  and  impor- 
tant as  this."  This  city  was  divided  into  districts  based  upon  their 
special  characteristics,  and  a  general  statement  made  concerning  popula- 
tion, nationalities,  industrial  agencies,  social  forces  (meaning  thereby, 
churches,  clubs,  charities,  social  settlements,  schools,  etc.),  educational 
advantages,  recreative,  charitable,  and  corrective  agencies. 

The  Civic  League  of  St.  Louis  has  made  housing  investigations  cover- 
ing the  interior  and  exterior  condition  of  houses.  Their  investigation 
also  included  general  facts  in  regard  to  the  community,  but  no  complete 
survey  of  the  communities  investigated  was  made.  In  connection  with  the 
civic  league,  the  School  of  Social  Economy  of  Washington  University, 
carried  on  investigations  of  Amusements,  Recreation,  Dependents,  Delin- 
quents, Infant  Mortality,  Child  Life,  Milk,  Tuberculosis,  Accident  and 
Relief,  Economic  Family  Conditions.  No  definite  comprehensive  system 
was  followed  in  these  special  investigations.  The  problem  decided  upon 
was  one  apparently  most  needing  investigation. 

Investigations  have  been  carried  on  in  about  100  cities  by  the  Bureau 
of  Social  Service  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America.  Their  work  consists  of  a  study  of 
social  conditions,  with  recommendations  how  to  meet  those  conditions; 
although  the  greatest  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  study  of  the  movements 
of  the  population  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  characters  of  church 
enterprise  required  to  meet  the  future  as  well  as  the  present.  Their 
survey  blanks  and  charts  were  used  in  connection  with  the  investigations 
carried  on  by  the  "Men  and  Religion  Forward  Movement." 

Classes  in  the  University  of  Missouri,  under  the  direction  of  W.  T. 
Cross  (General  Secretary  of  the  National  Conference  of  Charities  and 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  11 

Correction),  used  the  following  outline  for  a  social  survey  of  a  city  of 
about  10,000  inhabitants.  1.  The  people  (genesis  and  racial  makeup, 
social  institutions,  social  stratifications.)  2.  The  static  physical  condi- 
tions of  existence  (environmental  distribution  of  wealth  and  ownershipof 
property,  housing,  pure  air,  water  and  food,  health  and  sanitation,  physical 
setting  of  the  population  otherwise.)  3.  Dynamic  conditions  of  existence. 
(A.  Work — hours  and  wages,  control  of  labor,  accidents,  factory  in- 
spection, labor  of  women  and  children,  cost  of  living;  B.  Culture — 
schools,  industrial  education,  truancy,  playgrounds,  organization  of 
children,  libraries,  other  cultural  institutions,  relations  of  religious 
activities.)  4.  Social  control.     (Laws  and  ordinances.) 

During  the  early  part  of  the  present  year  (1914),  Mr.  Cross,  assisted 
by  Mr.  R.  H.  Leavell,  made  a  rapid  survey  of  Springfield,  Missouri, 
the  object  of  which  was,  "to  point  out  the  principal  community  needs; 
to  indicate  practical  methods  for  meeting  these  needs;  to  make  clear  the 
existence  within  the  city  of  abundant  resources  for  the  reorganization 
and  development  of  agencies  of  betterment."  The  survey  was  greatly 
limited  by  time  and  necessary  funds.  Hence,  no  attempt  was  made  to 
make  any  detailed  investigations,  but  rather,  to  outline  a  constructive 
policy  to  be  followed  for  a  period  of  years. 

One  of  a  series  of  studies  undertaken  by  the  different  departments 
of  the  Civic  Federation  of  New  Haven,  was  an  Industrial  Survey  of  a 
New  Haven  District  made  in  1912-13.  The  purpose  of  this  study  was  to 
secure  reliable  data  in  regard  to  1.  Earnings,  2.  Expenditures,  and  3. 
Living  Conditions  of  a  group  of  working  people  of  New  Haven.  While 
the  general  nature  of  the  investigation  was  similar  to  the  "Stock  Yards" 
budget  study,  it  was  much  more  rapid  and  less  detailed  and  accurate. 

Some  of  the  ablest  investigations  carried  on  in  this  country  are  those 
conducted  by  Hull  House  and  by  the  School  of  Civics  and  Philanthrophy 
of  Chicago,  who  cooperate  in  much  of  their  work  in  this  line,  and  who  also 
do  work  in  connection  with  the  United  Charities  and  other  welfare 
agencies  of  the  city.  The  leaders  of  this  work  keep  in  close  touch  with 
the  life  of  the  communities  studied,  and  hence  the  investigations  gener- 
ally apply  to  some  problem  which  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  district. 
If  an  investigation  is  made  of  a  community  which  is  less  familiar,  no 
special  inquiry  is  made  without  first  having  as  comprehensive  knowledge 
as  possible  of  the  general  background.  First,  a  study  is  made  in  the 
library,  of  all  similar  inquiries  which  have  been  made,  as  well  as  the 
methods  followed  in  the  investigation  of  similar  subjects.    Next,  the 


12  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

field  is  visited  and  through  interviews  with  individuals  and  by  visiting 
institutions  and  neighborhoods,  an  idea  of  the  problem  as  it  presents 
itself  is  secured.  This  work  preliminary  to  the  study  of  a  specific  problem 
is  a  recognition  of  the  need  of  a  general  survey  of  a  community  before 
making  any  special  investigation. 

A  special  type  of  Survey,  designated  as  "Sanitary  Surveys,"  but 
covering  the  general  situation,  is  being  made  by  Mrs.  Caroline  Bartlett 
Crane.  Her  work  first  attracted  attention  when  she  had  charge  of  a 
Unitarian  Church  in  Kalamazoo,  Michigan.  She  has  made  investigations 
and  submitted  reports  of  over  fifty  cities  large  and  small,  in  various 
parts  of  the  United  States.  These  surveys  are  not  very  detailed  or  scien- 
tific, but  are  rapid  investigations  of  certain  features  of  the  community's 
activities  which  bear  directly  upon  the  city's  health.  They  often  serve 
as  an  "eye-opener"  and  pave  the  way  for  a  more  detailed  and  more 
comprehensive  study. 

In  1910,  the  board  of  health  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  under  the  super- 
vision of  Dr.  George  T.  Palmer,  made  what  was  perhaps  the  best  as  well 
as  one  of  the  first  extensive  sanitary  surveys  carried  out.  Inspectors 
from  the  Department  visited  every  house  in  the  city  with  instructions 
to  gather  the  following  data:  1.  The  location  of  each  shallow  well. 
2.  The  location  of  each  privy  vault  or  cess-pool.  3.  The  number  of 
sewer  and  water  connections  for  sanitary  purposes.  4.  The  general 
sanitary  and  physical  condition  of  each  house.  From  the  data  thus 
obtained,  there  was  prepared  a  sanitary  map  of  Springfield,  ten  by  twelve 
feel  in  size  and  showing  every  house  by  number,  every  vacant  lot  and 
piece  of  business  property  and  all  schools,  churches,  and  public  institu- 
tions. The  map  also  showed  all  wells,  vaults,  watermains,  and  sewers. 
There  was  also  an  investigation  of  milk  and  restaurants.  Following  the 
example  of  Springfield,  several  other  cities  have  undertaken  similar 
sanitary  surveys.  Aside  from  the  great  local  value  attached  to  this 
survey  was  the  general  effect  it  has  had  upon  the  question  of  surveys. 
The  making  of  a  survey  was  looked  upon  as  a  gigantic  undertaking 
as  was  the  case  in  Pittsburgh  and  London, — which  could  not  be  attempted 
without  a  large  working  force,  and  great  resources.  Springfield  showed 
what  could  be  done  at  a  minimum  cost,  and  largely  with  the  working 
force  of  departments  already  organized.  The  work  there  has,  however, 
not  ceased  with  it-  firsl  success.  It  is  realized  that  t His.  is  merely  a 
beginning.  A  comprehensive  survey  is  in  progress  in  Springfield  at  this 
time. 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  13 

An  investigation  of  wages  and  family  budgets  was  carried  on  in  the 
Chicago  Stockyards  District  (April  1,  1909-April  1,  1910),  by  John 
C.  Kennedy  and  others,  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago  Settlement.  In  order  to  discover  the  least  wages  that 
will  support  a  family  in  that  district,  the  family  budgets  of  184  typical 
stockyards  families  were  gathered.  First,  a  schedule  was  prepared 
covering  all  the  points  about  which  information  was  desired.  This 
included,  I.  Composition  of  Family,  covering  age,  sex  and  nationality 
of  the  different  members;  II.  Income;  III.  Expenditure  for,  a.  food, 
b.  clothing,  c.  carfare,  d.  education  and  reading,  e.  laundry  and  repairs, 
f.  furniture  and  furnishings,  g.  fuel  and  light,  h.  insurance,  i.  health, 
j.  dues,  taxes,  etc.,  k.  recreation,  1.  miscellaneous;  and  IV.  Hous- 
ing conditions.  Next,  a  large  number  of  families  were  persuaded 
to  keep  systematic  accounts  of  their  incomes  and  expenditures.  About 
400  families  were  persuaded  to  keep  accounts,  of  which  272  kept  their 
accounts  long  enough  to  be  made  use  of  by  the  investigators.  Of  the 
272,-88  were  rejected  as  being  unsatisfactory,  leaving  184  families  from 
which  the  statistics  were  tabulated.  The  period  covered  by  these 
accounts  ranged  from  9  weeks  to  a  year.  Over  75  per  cent  of  all  were 
kept  for  a  period  of  six  months  or  more. 

While  the  survey  was  limited  to  a  comparatively  narrow  field,  the 
investigation  was  very  intensive,  and  carefully  conducted.  Every  possi- 
ble attempt  was  made  to  correct  inaccuracies,  and  to  reduce  budgets 
taken  at  different  seasons  of  the  year  to  a  unit  basis.  This  survey  is  one 
of  the  best  of  its  kind  ever  attempted,  although  according  to  statements 
of  the  principal  investigators,  it  is  neither  as  intensive  in  regard  to  the 
qualities  of  the  commodities  used,  nor  as  extensive  as  would  have  been 
preferred  if  more  time  and  greater  resources  had  been  at  their  disposal. 
However,  for  all  practical  purposes  the  budgets  represent  the  actual  con- 
ditions prevailing  in  the  stockyards  district,  as  far  as  income  and  ex- 
penditures are  concerned. 

The  Lawrence  Massachusetts  Survey.  In  1852  Daniel  A.  White  gave 
to  trustees  a  considerable  tract  of  land,  the  proceeds  of  which  should  go 
toward  providing  a  course  of  lyceum  lectures,  and  "  to  promote  the  moral, 
intellectual  and  Christian  advancement  and  instruction  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  town  of  Lawrence."  In  1910-11  the  trustees  secured  the 
assistance  of  Mr.  F.  H.  McLean,  then  of  the  Charity  Department  of  the 
Russell  Sage  Foundation,  to  plan  a  survey  of  Lawrence.  Robert  E.  Todd 
was  secured  to  conduct  the  examination  of  housing  conditions  and  Pro- 


14  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

fessor  Sanborn  conducted  the  Health  Examination.  The  funds  for  the 
work  were  limited,  hence  it  was  decided  to  make  only  a  partial  survey,  and 
do  that  thoroughly.  Housing  and  Health  were  thought  to  be  the  phases 
most  directly  affecting  all  of  the  inhabitants,  and  hence  these  together 
with  a  study  of  topography  and  physical  characteristics  were  made  the 
basis  for  the  study.  These  matters  were  thoroughly  investigated. 
The  milk  supply  of  Lawrence  was  traced  to  its  very  sources  on  the  farms 
throughout  New  England.  Suggestions  were  made  regarding  the  dis- 
posal of  garbage,  fire-protection,  building  regulations,  control  of  milk 
supply,  and  duties  of  the  Board  of  Health  and  the  Building  Inspectors, 
and  an  organization  was  formed  to  carry  on  the  propaganda  for  the 
attacking  of  those  evils  which  the  investigation  revealed.  One  of  the 
significant  features  of  this  survey  is  that  it  is  not  proposed  that  this  shall 
be  the  end  of  investigations,  but  that  this  is  merely  the  beginning  of  a 
comprehensive  study  of  Lawrence  "  all  along  the  line  of  living  and 
economic   conditions." 

II.  The  Studies  mentioned  in  this  group  bear  a  somewhat  close 
relationship  to  Social  Surveys.  While  they  do  not  make  as  intensive 
investigations  of  conditions  as  those  mentioned  in  the  first  group,  they 
note  the  condition  and  development  of  several  individual  and  related 
subjects  and  note  their  effect  upon  the  community. 

The  most  extensive  in  this  division  is  Booth's  Life  and  Labors  of  the 
People  of  London,  a  work  which  required  seventeen  years  for  its  prepara- 
tion. The  subject  matter  is  divided  into  four  Volumes  dealing  with 
poverty,  five  with  education  and  seven  with  the  religion  of  the  people  of 
London.  The  work  is  summarized  in  a  statement  of  Mr.  Booth's  in 
which  he  says,  "My  object  has  been  to  attempt  to  show  the  numerical 
relation  in  which  poverty,  misery,  and  depravity  bear  to  regular  earn- 
ings and  comparative  comfort,  and  to  describe  the  general  condition 
under  which  each  class  lives."  In  this  work  he  describes  the  people, 
"as  they  exist  in  London  under  the  influence  of  education,  religion  and 
administration."  This  work  has  done  much  to  inspire  others  to  under- 
take the  work  of  making  Social  Surveys,  and  it  is  perhaps  to  this  fact,  as 
well  as  to  its  value  as  a  great  collection  of  data  concerning  the  living 
conditions  of  the  people  of  London,  that  it  owes  its  value.  Its  practical 
worth,  though  not  its  scientific  value,  has  diminished  by  the  length  of  time 
spent  in  its  preparation.  Any  period  of  time  as  long  as  that  required 
in  the  preparation  of  this  survey  is  certain  to  bring  great  changes  in  the 
living  conditions  of  a  city. 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  15 

B.  Seebohm  Roantree,  made  several  detailed  investigations  of  pov- 
erty in  cities  of  Southern  England,  along  lines  similar  to  Booth's  study 
of  London. 

Culture  Agencies  of  a  Typical  Manufacturing  Group,  by  John  M. 
Gillette  is  an  interesting  monograph  of  an  industrial  community  in  South 
Chicago.  It  is  especially  of  value  in  that  it  touches  practically  every 
phase  of  social  facts  which  an  investigation  might  bring  to  light  and 
regards  it  in  the  light  of  its  relation  to  its  ethical  effect  upon  the 
community. 

Warren  H.  Wilson  has  prepared  an  historical  monograph  of  Quaker 
Hill.  It  is  divided  into  three  general  divisions,  viz.,  The  Early  Quaker 
Community,  The  Period  of  Transition,  and  The  Mixed  Community, 
after  it  had  received  and  assimilated  outsiders.  In  general  the  treatment 
of  the  subject  corresponds  with  Professor  Giddings'  Classification  in  his 
Principles  of  Sociology,  e.  g.,  1.  Social  Population,  2.  The  Social  Mind, 
3.  Social  Organization,  4.  The  Social  Welfare. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  likewise  prepared  a  pamphlet  containing  twelve 
studies  of  community  problems  for  the  use  of  any  organizations  that 
wished  to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  social  conditions  of  the 
community  in  which  it  existed.  The  problem  studies  taken  up  are, 
I.  Population,  II.  Economic  Problems,  III.  Poverty,  IV.  Class  Distinc- 
tion, V.  Labor  Unions  and  Labor  Problems,  VI.  Recreation,  VII.  The 
Saloons,  VIII.  The  Day  of  Rest,  IX.  The  Young  People,  X.  Immigration, 
XL  Christian  Leadership  in  Public  Life,  and  XII.  The  Community 
Church.  This  Schedule  has  been  prepared  chiefly  for  the  use  of  churches 
and  religious  organizations,  and  is  perhaps  the  best  along  the  line  in 
which  it  has  been  developed. 

In  the  study  of  Manhattenville  (Columbia  studies  in  History,  Eco- 
nomics, and  Public  Law,  Vol.  35),  H.  B.  Woolston  treats  the  community, 
1st,  in  relation  to  its  Historical  Development,  2nd,  An  analysis  of  its  Pop- 
ulation, 3rd,  The  Social  Temper,  4th,  Economic  Conditions,  5th,  Vital 
Tendencies,  6th,  Movements  of  the  Population. 

The  Study  of  an  American  Town,  by  J.  M.Williams,  the  Sociology  of  a 
New  York  City  Block,  by  T.  J.  Jones,  and  A  Hoosier  Village,  by  N.  I.  Sims 
are  historical  monographs  of  communities  developed  very  largely  accord- 
ing to  the  classification  of  a  community  made  by  Professor  Giddings. 
While  their  treatment  of  the  subject  matter  differs  somewhat  in  its  details 
the  general  form  adopted  is  more  definitely  a  study  of  the  historical 
development  of  the  social  activities  and  conditions  of  the  community, 
than  a  survey  of  the  present  status. 


16  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

A  monograph  of  a  somewhat  different  character  is  the  Social  Problem 
at  the  Chicago  Stockyards,  prepared  by  Charles  J.  Bushnell,  1902. 
This  study  gives  a  detailed  statement  of  some  of  the  social  conditions  of 
the  Stockyard  community,  as  compared  with  the  wealthier  Hyde  Park 
community.  Some  of  the  most  evident  weaknesses  of  the  industrial 
situation  are  pointed  out,  and  a  course  of  action  suggested  for  the  ameli- 
oration of  the  unsettled  social  and  industrial  conditions  prevalent. 

III.  In  this  group  we  have  included  two  general  types  of  material; 
a.  schedules  and  studies  descriptive  of  the  methods  of  social  surveys; 
and  b.  reports  of  survey  findings.  There  are  many  excellent  studies 
which  are  not  mentioned,  but  the  best  as  well  as  the  most  typical  are 
here.  Many  of  these  surveys  have  resulted  as  an  outgrowth  of  some 
special  study,  from  which  it  was  learned  that  a  comprehensive  study  of 
the  community  was  needed  if  permanent  results  were  to  be  obtained. 
a.  Schedules. 

In  order  that  a  knowledge  of  the  social  conditions  of  municipalities 
may  be  made  known  to  the  people  who  constitute  them,  and  to  help 
obviate  unnecessary  overlapping  of  the  activities  of  the  various  municipal 
and  private  ameliorative  agencies  of  English  towns,  the  British  Institute 
of  Social  Service  has  proposed  the  following  classification  of  the  fields  of 
inquiry,  which  shall  include  not  only  the  problems;  but  likewise  the  agen- 
cies doing  ameliorative  work:  1.  Health;  2.  Sickness,  Physical  and  Men- 
tal Defects;  3.  Housing;  4.  Education;  5.  Mental,  Moral  and  Physical 
Improvement;  6.  Thrift;  7.  Relief  of  Poverty  and  Unemployment; 
8.  Correction  and  Detention. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  movement  had  its  origin  in  the 
realization  that  in  order  to  cope  successfully  with  any  problems,  as 
thorough  a  knowledge  as  possible  must  be  had  of  related  problems  and  a 
cooperation  of  the  agencies  doing  ameliorative  work.  "If  the  problems 
of  poverty  are  to  find  a  scientific  solution  it  seems  essential  that  some 
estimate  shall  be  made  of  the  assets  in  order  that  a  comprehensive  view 
may  be  had  of  the  forces  dealing  by  various  means  with  the  necessities 
of  the  situation."3  Cheltenham,  Aldham,  Birmingham,  Bolton,  Halifax, 
Haddenfield,  Liverpool,  Manchester  and  Reading  have  very  comprehen- 
sive directories  of  information  in  regard  to  local  charities  and  welfare 
agencies. 

In  1911,  the  Cities  Committee  of  the  Sociological  Society  of  London, 
made  the  following  suggestion:  "Before  proceeding  to  the  preparation  of 

»  Progress,  October,  1907. 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  17 

a  town-planning  scheme,  it  is  desirable  to  institute  a  preliminary  local 
survey  to  include  the  collection  and  public  exhibition  of  maps,  plans, 
models,  drawings,  documents,  statistics,  etc.,  illustrative  of  the  situation, 
historic  development,  communications,  industry  and  commerce,  popula- 
tion, town  conditions  and  requirements,  etc."  It  was  held  that  while 
a  "passable  town-planning  scheme,"  might  be  obtained  without  a  pre- 
liminary survey  and  exhibition, — the  best  possible  cannot  be  expected. 
The  following  general  outline  was  suggested  as  a  basis  for  surveys  which 
would  admit  of  adaptation  and  extension  to  the  individuality  and  special 
conditions  of  each  town  and  city:  1.  Situation,  topography  and  natural 
advantages;  2.  Means  of  communication,  land  and  water;  3.  Industries, 
manufacturies    and    commerce;    4.  Population;    5.  Town    conditions; 

6.  Town-planning. 

A  pamphlet  which  is  announced  as  being  "a  practical  scheme  for  the 
investigation  of  the  structure,  problems  and  possibilities  of  rural,  village 
and  other  communities  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  church  and  its  work" 
has  been  prepared  by  George  Frederich  Wells  in  which  the  idea  is  em- 
phasized that  to  secure  permanent  results  the  investigation  must  be 
scientific  and  must  be  more  or  less  uniform  in  the  various  communities 
investigated.  The  scheme  indicates  that  if  the  correct  measure  of  any 
particular  activity  in  a  community  is  to  be  obtained,  knowledge  must  be 
had  of  associated  activities.  The  studies  suggested  are:  1.  Community 
and  its  population;  2.  Economic  and  Industrial  Conditions;  3.  Civic  life 
and  community  organizations;  4.  Recreation;  5.  Education;  6.  Religion 
and  church  life;  7.  The  pastor;  8.  Interchurch  relations;  9,  Evangelism; 
10.  Institutional  church  work;  11.  Federation  of  Rural  Social  forces; 
12.  Ultimate  social  and  religious  needs. 

A  method  of  analysis  for  the  study  of  a  community  has  been  prepared 
by  Professor  Giddings,  which  has  served  as  the  basis  for  the  preparing  of 
several  monographs  elsewhere  mentioned.  The  analysis  is  based  upon 
the  following  outline:  1.  The  Place;  2.  The  Group,  historical;  3.  The 
Group,  physical;  4.  The  Group,  psychological;  5.  The  ways  of  satisfying 
desire  or  want;  6.  The  Group  struggle  for  existence  and  advantage; 

7.  Social  pressure;  8.  Social  self-control;  9.  Organization  of  the  Group; 
10.  Results  of  Group  formation  and  Group  struggle. 

Le  Play  in  his  Workingmen  in  Europe,  (Ouviers  Europeans),  gives  a 
method  of  observation  in  which  the  elements  of  observation  are  analyzed 
with  mathematical  precision.  He  built  up  a  system  which  became  very 
widely  known  as  the  Le  Play  Method,  and  was  the  basis  for  a  large 


/t 


18  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

number  of  monographs.  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  the 
monographs  published  since  the  death  of  Le  Play  have  enlarged  the 
field  of  Social  Science.  His  followers  did  not  seem  to  have  the  power 
to  the  degree  possessed  by  Le  Play  of  passing  from  observation  of  specific 
cases  to  a  general  view.  The  method  furnished  by  him  treated  almost 
entirely  with  the  family.  It  did  not  grasp  Society  as  a  whole.  M.  de 
Tourville  noting  the  value  as  well  as  the  imperfection  of  the  Le  Play 
Method,  attempted  to  coordinate  the  interrelated  social  facts  and 
develop  a  means  of  analysis  which  would  serve  as  a  guide  for  further 
studies.  He  divides  social  facts  into  five  classes,  which  he  based 
around  the  family  as  follows:  1.  Society  at  Home;  2.  Society  Abroad; 
3.  Action  of  Foreign  Society  Upon  It;  4.  History  of  Society;  5.  Rank 
of  Society. 

M.  Cheysson  (Vol.  V.  Am.  Jour.  Soc.)  has  prepared  a  schedule  to  be 
used  in  writing  a  monograph  dealing  with  the  history  of  a  community 
and  its  present  economic,  religious  and  ethical  conditions  in  a  manner 
similar  to  Le  Play's  treatment  of  the  family.  He  divides  it  into  two  main 
divisions:  1.  An  Historical  Introduction,  treating  of  the  demographic, 
the  economic  and  the  social  history  of  the  community:  2.  Analysis  of 
the  present  conditions  of  the  community,  as  affected  by  its  population, 
industries,  economic  conditions,  religion  and  ethics. 

In  An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Society,  by  Small  and  Vincent, 
there  is  suggested  a  method  for  the  study  of  a  community  which  is  the 
one  followed  in  The  Study  of  Culture  Agencies  of  a  Typical  Industrial 
Group,  by  John  M.  Gillete,  and  An  Analysis  of  a  Western  Town,  by 
Arthur  N.  Dunn.  It  is  one  of  the  most  comprehensive  outlines  published, 
and  includes  the  following:  1.  Natural  conditions;  2.  Artificial  Arrange- 
ments; 3.  Population;  4.  Distribution;  5.  Grouping;  6.  Institutions; 
7.  Municipal  Government;  8.  Instability  of  Sociability;  9.  Ecclesias- 
tical Institutions;  10.  Educational  Institutions;  11.  Esthetic  Institution; 
12.  Entertainments  and  Amusements;  13.  Local  Communication;  14. 
Authorities;  15.  Psychical  Conditions;  16.  Punitive,  Reformative  and 
Ameliorative  Institutions;  17.  Abnormal  Conditions;  18.  Institutions 
of  Vice  and  Crime. 

A  "Conspectus  of  the  Social  Situation,  as  given  in  the  present  state 
of  achievement  and  in  unsolved  technical  problems,"  presented  by 
Professor  Albion  W.  Small  in  his  General  Sociology,  correlates  the  various 
phases  of  social  achievement  and  emphasizes  the  fact  that  no  considera- 
tions of  any  social  situation  is  true  which  does  not  give  due  weight  to 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  19 

all  the  interrelated  factors.  It  divides  the  field  into  the  following 
grand  divisions:  I.  Achievement  in  Promoting  Health;  II.  Achievement 
in  Producing  Wealth;  III.  Achievement  in  Harmonizing  Human  Rela- 
tions; IV.  Achievement  in  Discovery  and  Spread  of  Knowledge;  V. 
Achievement  in  the  Fine  Arts;  VI.  Achievement  in  Religion. 

In  1894,  Professor  C.  R.  Henderson  prepared  a  pamphlet  entitled, 
Catechism  for  Social  Observation  which  contains  an  analysis  published  for 
the  comprehensive  study  of  a  community.  It  contains  suggestions  for 
an  analytical  study  of  three  groups:  1.  The  Individual  Family;  2.  A 
Village;  3.  Large  Towns  and  City.  The  general  topics  are — a.  The 
Environment;  b.  Social  Relations  of  the  Community,  Natural  and  Con- 
tractual; c.  The  Arrangements  and  Activities  of  the  Community  as  a 
whole.  The  subdivisions  of  this  general  classification  are  similar  to 
those  suggested  in  the  appendix  to  Professor  Henderson's  later  publica- 
tion, Social  Elements,  viz.:  1.  Physical  Environment;  2.  Source  of  the 
Population;  3.  The  Buildings  of  the  Town  (past  and  present);  4.  The 
Works  of  the  Town  for  the  Wealth,  Convenience  and  Comfort;  5.  In- 
dustries and  Commerical  Organizations;  6.  Institutions  of  Culture, 
Regulative  Agencies,  Churches;  7.  Philanthropic  Agencies;  8.  Institu- 
tions of  Vice  and  Crime,  Punishment  and  Correction;  9.  Institutions  of 
Positive  Progress. 

Knowing  One's  Own  Community,  a  valuable  publication  by  Carol 
Aronovici  contains  besides  a  schedule  for  making  a  survey,  many 
valuable  suggestions  for  carrying  it  into  practice.  The  schedule  takes 
up:  1.  The  Character  of  the  Community;  II.  Geographic  Situation; 
III.  Government;  IV.  Industries;  V.  Health,  (dealing  with  mortality 
and  morbidity,  and  housing);  VI.  Education;  VII.  Welfare  Agencies; 
VIII.  Poverty;  IX.  Crime.  Dr.  Aronovici  suggests  that,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, every  phase  of  community  life  should  be  covered  by  a  survey,  but  if 
limitations  of  time  or  working  force  necessitates  the  selection  of  specific 
problems,  these  lines  of  investigation  should  be  carefully  determined  before 
beginning  the  investigation,  or  as  summarized  by  Dr.  Aronovici:  "Stated 
in  brief,  a  survey  must  follow  lines  which  are  of  a  practical  character  and 
must  have  in  view  tangible  improvements  which  are  easily  understood 
and  most  generally  desired." 

Similar  to  the  above  mentioned  publication,  is  the  pamphlet,  en- 
titled What  Social  Workers  Should  Know  About  Their  Own  Communi- 
ties, by  Miss  Margaret  Byington,  Associate  Field  Secretary  of  the  Charity 
Organization  Department  of  the   Russell    Sage    Foundation.     While  it 


20  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

is  not  a  definite  plan  for  a  social  survey,  it  suggests  very  comprehensively 
the  facts  which  should  be  known  for  the  purpose  of  doing  effective  charity 
or  philanthropic  work.  The  different  lines  of  inquiry  are  treated  from 
a  legislative  and  practical  point  of  view.  The  order  in  which  they  are 
taken  up  are:  I.  The  City;  II.  Community  Problems  (A.  Housing, 
B.  Health,  C.  Industrial  Problems,  D.  The  Immigrant,  E.  Children, 
1.  Child  Labor,  2.  Schools,  3.  Clubs,  4.  Amusements,  5.  Juvenile  de- 
linquents, F.  The  Courts,  Drunkenness,  Non-Support  and  Desertion); 
III.  The  Agencies  for  the  Relief  and  for  the  Improvement  of  Social 
Conditions,  A.  Agencies  not  primarily  philanthropic,  B.  Philanthropic 
Agencies,  1.  Public  outdoor  relief,  2.  Care  of  homeless  men;  private 
relief,  3.  The  organization  of  charity,  child  caring,  care  of  the  sick, 
defectives,  the  aged. 

b.  Reports  of  Survey  Findings. 

The  rapid  influx  of  Polish  people  into  Buffalo,  New  York,  created  a 
special  problem  for  that  city.  There  grew  up  within  a  comparatively 
short  time,  a  colony  of  over  80,000  of  this  particular  group  of  foreigners, 
compelling  Buffalo  to  recognize  them  and  deal  with  the  conditions 
attending  growth.  The  Buffalo  Survey  of  its  Polish  population  (1909- 
1910)  is  of  particular  interest  since  it  is  the  first  survey  started  on  the 
initiative  of  a  city  itself.  Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  John  Daniels, 
the  following  studies  were  taken  up:  I.  The  History  of  the  Polish  Popu- 
lation of  Buffalo;  II.  Their  Economic  Progress;  III.  The  Industrial 
Condition  of  the  Masses;  IV.  Living  Conditions;  V.  Immorality  and 
Crime;  VI.  The  Rising  Generation  and  the  School  Question;  VII. 
Retarding  and  Constructive  Factors;  VIII.  Synthesis  and  Exhibition 
of  Results. 

In  the  suggestions  and  exhibits  made  in  bringing  the  results  of  the 
Survey  to  the  public,  Industrial  and  Domestic  education  was  made  to 
stand  out  as  the  underlying  and  central  need.  After  the  benefits  of  this 
special  survey  were  observed  it  was  decided  that  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
support  could  be  obtained,  a  survey  of  which  this  was  a  mere  beginning 
would  be  extended  over  the  entire  city,  and  the  fields  of  investigation 
extended  to  include  more  of  the  social  activities  of  Buffalo. 

A  Social  Survey  of  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  by  George  F.  Kenngott 
is  one  of  the  best  examples  we  have  of  a  general  study  of  an  industrial 
community.  While  it  does  not  cover  all  of  the  conditions  and  social 
activities  of  the  community  in  an  exhaustive  way,  their  interrelation 
and  general  effect  upon  the  activity  of  the  group  is  shown,  and  the  most 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  21 

crying  needs  of  the  community  are  brought  out  by  the  study  of  family 
budgets,  and  close  observation  of  the  activities  of  the  various  institutions 
of  the  city.  The  topics  considered  are  The  Population, — Housing  of 
Operatives, — Health, — Standard  of  Living, — Industrial  Conditions, — 
Social  Institutions  and  Recreation. 

In  1912  A  Bureau  of  Economy  and  Efficiency  was  established  in  Mil- 
waukee to  engage  in  a  municipal  survey,  along  the  lines  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Survey,  but  on  a  broader  scope.  This  survey  was  to  have  two  principal 
sections,  first,  a  study  of  the  social  and  economic  conditions  within  the 
city,  and  second,  a  study  of  the  economy  and  efficiency  of  municipal 
departments.  The  Social  Survey  inquired  into  the  conditions  of  living 
in  the  city.  Studies  were  made  of  health  and  sanitary  problems,  housing 
conditions,  accidents  to  workmen,  standards  of  living,  and  kindred  sub- 
jects. The  Efficiency  Survey  inquired  into  the  organization,  adminis- 
tration, accounting,  finance,  business  practice,  construction  and  operation 
of  work  performed  by  the  departments  of  city  government,  and,  worked 
out  economical  and  efficient  business  systems  for  these  departments. 
The  Social  Survey  was  not  an  exhaustive  investigation  intended  to  expose 
conditions  or  to  furnish  material  for  social  philosophy,  but  a  means  of 
measuring  the  efficiency  or  discovering  the  inefficiency  of  city  govern- 
ment. The  investigation  of  housing  conditions  for  example,  was  simply 
an  investigation  of  the  extent  to  which  the  existing  laws  were  enforced. 
If  they  were  not  enforced,  the  Efficiency  Survey  must  determine  why  they 
were  not  enforced  and  how  they  could  be  enforced.  The  social  investi- 
gation discovered  actual  conditions;  the  efficiency4  investigation 
determined  means  and  measures  for  dealing  with  them. 

A  quick  diagnosis  of  the  Civic  conditions  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania 
was  made  in  1913  by  the  Century  Club  of  Scranton  under  the  direction 
and  supervision  of  the  Department  of  Surveys  and  Exhibits  of  the  Rus- 
sell Sage  Foundation.  The  purpose  of  this  study  was  to  indicate  some 
of  the  problems  to  be  considered  in  a  future  study.  Reports  of  various 
subjects  were  made,  which  consisted  of  a  general  statement  of  the  situa- 
tion and  an  enumeration  of  the  matters  which  should  be  studied  in  more 
detail.  The  topics  covered  in  this  manner  were:  I.  Community  Assets; 
II.  Education;  III.  Public  Health;  IV.  Civic  Improvement;  V.  Better- 
ment Agencies;  VI.  Recreation;  VII.  Taxation  and  Public  Finances; 
VIII.  Working  Conditions  and  Relations;  IX.  Delinquency. 

The  Department  of  Survey  and  Exhibits  of  the  Russell  Sage  Founda- 

4  See  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 


22  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN  COMMUNITIES 

tion  has  for  sometime  past  engaged  in  two  kinds  of  field  work  in  making 
surveys.  The  one  has  been  a  quick  diagnosis  of  local  conditions  showing 
the  need  of  a  longer  and  more  intensive  survey.  Enough  local  facts  are 
gathered  to  indicate  the  main  lines  of  investigation  which  should  be  taken 
up  later.  The  other  type  of  survey  has  been  to  gather  enough  local  facts 
to  enable  the  making  of  a  program  to  extend  over  several  years;  it  is 
endeavored  to  enlist  public  support  in  the  carrying  out  of  the  program; 
and  to  clearly  point  out  the  problems  which  need  thorough  or  continuous 
investigation. 

Possibly  the  most  widely  known  of  all  American  surveys  is  the  Pitts- 
burgh Survey  (financed  by  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation),  which,  to  use 
the  words  of  one  of  the  workers,  "Was  a  rapid  fire  investigation  at  close 
range."  Professor  Daniels  in  the  Report  of  Conference  of  Charities  and 
Corrections,  1910,  says,  "Of  Social  Surveys,  the  Pittsburgh  Survey  must 
be  regarded  as  the  powerful  prototype  and  forerunner.  But  those  who 
directed  the  Pittsburgh  Survey,  would  be  the  first  to  urge  that  the  com- 
prehensive and  complete  survey  is  yet  to  be  made.  In  Pittsburgh  it  was 
deemed  wise  to  sacrifice  comprehensiveness  to  concentrated  power  of 
attack  upon  certain  excrescences  and  enormities  in  the  Pittsburgh  situa- 
tion." The  Pittsburgh  Survey  confined  itself  chiefly  to  a  study  of  the 
industries  and  living  conditions  of  the  working  people.  The  phases 
dealt  with  were  the  people,  housing,  water  and  typhoid,  labor  situation, 
school  system,  civic  improvement,  cost  of  living,  health,  industrial  acci- 
dents, social  institutions  and  children. 

The  feature  of  the  Pittsburgh  Survey  which  has  given  it  such  wide 
recognition  has  not  been  the  magnitude  of  the  task  as  much  as  the  fact 
that  results  were  obtained  by  its  disclosure  of  the  need  of  improving 
conditions  investigated.  It  was  shown  that  the  problems  need  not  be 
considered  insurmountable  simply  because  the  situation  was  of  enormous 
proportions. 

In  PHI  a  survey  was  made  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  under  the 
direction  of  Shelby  M.  Harrison.  This  city  is  located  in  the  coal  and  iron 
district  of  Alabama,  and  has  grown  up  rapidly  without  any  planning  or 
direction.  Experts  were  secured  to  make  studies  of  special  problems 
such  as  Civic  Conditions,  Sanitation,  Industrial  Problems  and  Children. 
This  study  was  also  extended  to  smaller  communities  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Birmingham,  reports  of  which  were  published  in  The  Survey  for  1912. 

The  Syracuse  Social  Survey  conducted  by  Shelby  M.  Harrison,  like 
all  of  the  investigations  carried  on  under  his  direction,  constitutes  the 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  23 

most  advanced  form  of  social  survey.  First  a  quick  study  of  the  city  was 
made.  Then  under  the  direction  of  specialists  in  the  respective  fields, 
the  following  problems  were  taken  up:  I.  Health  and  its  Conservation; 
II.  Housing  of  the  Unskilled  Work  People  and  the  Poor;  III.  Betterment 
Agencies;  IV.  Foreign  Population;  V.  Juvenile  Delinquency;  VI. 
Civic  Improvement;  VII.  Labor  Conditions;  VIII.  Sewage  Situation. 
The  special  lines  of  inquiry  taken  up  depending  of  course  upon 
the  recommendations  made  from  the  preliminary  survey  of  the  city. 
This  is  generally  conceded  to  be  the  most  practical  method  of  making 
special  investigations. 

The  Newburgh  Survey  which  consists  of  reports  of  limited  investiga- 
tions (1912)  of  social  conditions  in  Newburgh,  New  York,  is  one  of  the 
best  as  well  as  most  typical  of  the  investigations  carried  on  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Surveys  and  Exhibits  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation.  Special- 
ists in  the  various  lines  made  investigations  and  prepared  reports  upon 
phases  of  the  community's,  social  conditions  and  activities  and  suggested 
possible  changes  and  improvements.  The  various  fields  investigated 
were:  I.  Public  Schools;  II.  Health;  III.  Housing;  IV.  Delinquency; 
V.  Library;  VI.  Recreation;  VII.  Charities;  VIII.  Industrial  Conditions; 
LX.  Municipal  Administration.  While  these  various  problems  were 
investigated  under  the  direction  of  experts  and  specialists  from  the 
Department  of  Surveys  and  Exhibits,  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  much 
valuable  aid  was  received  from  volunteer  organizations  and  individuals, 
in  making  the  investigations  and  in  preparing  the  Exhibits  showing  the 
gist  of  the  Survey.  The  subjects  taken  up  in  the  survey  were  decided 
upon  becaus'e  of  special  interest  in  them  or  because  there  was  evident 
need  for  a  change  in  conditions.  The  reports  of  the  survey  consist  of  the 
facts  and  recommendations  of  the  investigators.  Action  based  upon 
these  reports  was  left  to  local  initiative. 

Only  the  barest  outline  has  been  given  of  the  leading  schedules 
which  have  been  suggested  and  the  methods  used  by  individuals 
and  by  organizations  in  making  these  investigations  and  surveys.  It  is 
hoped,  however,  that  this  has  been  sufficient  to  show,  1st,  the  need  of  a 
comprehensive  scheme  to  be  the  basis  of  all  investigations,  and  of  social 
or  civic  undertakings  for  a  period  of  years;  and  2nd,  that  it  has  empha- 
sized the  need  of  a  more  uniform  classification  of  phenomena  if  the  data 
collected  in  these  numerous  investigations  is  to  have  any  permanent 
value. 

The  scope  of  a  social  survey  will  depend  upon  the  purpose  for  which  the 
survey  is  carried  on  and  will  be  largely  influenced  by  the  amount  of  moral 


24  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

and  financial  backing, — as  well  as  the  specific  problem  which  is  the  main 
object  for  starting  the  investigation.  There  may  often  be  uncontrollable 
factors  which  interfere  with  the  carrying  out  of  a  comprehensive  survey, 
and  which  may  necessitate  the  concentration  of  all  efforts  upon  some 
specific  problem.  Indeed,  this  is  most  probably  the  best  method  to 
follow,  where  the  community  to  be  investigated  is  a  very  large  city. 
However,  if  such  surveys  are  to  be  of  any  value  beyond  the  immediate 
communities  in  which  they  are  made,  they  should  fit  into  some  larger 
scheme  of  classification  in  order  that  the  results  obtained  by  one  investi- 
gation may  be  compared  with  the  results  of  similar  investigations  carried 
on  in  other  communities. 

The  necessity  of  a  uniform  system  of  municipal  accounting  has  been 
recognized  for  a  long  time.  In  1907  the  United  States  Bureau  of  the 
Census  began  an  intensive  study  of  this  question,  although  many  private 
commercial  organizations  and  Public  Utility  Associations  had  done  much 
toward  standardization  of  certain  branches  of  municipal  accounting  many 
years  before  this.  The  United  States  Bureau  of  the  Census  has  not  de- 
vised any  system  of  accounting,  but  it  has  arranged  a  uniform  system  for 
the  classification  of  receipts  and  payments  set  forth  by  schedules  which  are 
being  used  by  an  ever-increasing  number  of  cities  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  as  the  basis  for  their  accounting  system.  Since  the  range 
of  activities  and  conditions  covered  in  a  survey  is  so  extensive,  the  need  of 
a  uniform  system  of  making  social  surveys  becomes  even  more  apparent 
than  in  the  matter  of  municipal  accounting,  and  the  greatest  efficiency 
cannot  be  obtained  unless  the  entire  field  is  mapped  out,  and  the  correla- 
tion of  the  different  phases  noted,  by  means  of  a  comprehensive  schedule. 
Even  though  only  a  partial  survey  is  made,  it  should  at  least  cover  all 
phases  of  the  activity  which  is  being  investigated,  the  details  should  be 
properly  grouped  and  made  to  fit  into  the  general  scheme  of  a  comprehen- 
sive   social    survey. 

While  no  one  of  the  schedules  as  mentioned  above  includes  a  study 
of  all  phases  of  community  life,  yet  there  is  embodied  in  these  various 
schedules  practically  everything  which  would  be  taken  up  in  a  complete 
community  survey,  although  the  different  subdivisions  are  not  grouped 
under  the  same  general  headings.  In  the  classification  proposed  below 
we  have  attempted  to  include  all  the  conditions  and  activities  which  should 
be  considered  in  making  a  complete  survey.  These  are  arrayed  under 
eight   general   divisions: 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   SOCIAL   SURVEYS  25 

A.  Introduction. 

B.  Natural  Physical  Conditions. 

C.  Population: 

I.  Density  and  Distribution  of  Population. 
II.  Nationality. 
III.  Domestic  Life. 
IV.  Vital  Statistics. 

D.  Social  Conditions  and  Activities,  Relating  to  the  Health,  Conven- 
ience and  Comfort  of  the  Community: 

I.  Housing. 
II.  Public  Utilities. 
III.  Diseases  and  Health  Measures. 

E.  Wealth  and  Industry. 

I.  Distribution  of  Wealth. 
II.  Industrial  Activities. 

a.  Study  of  Individual  Industries. 
III.  Transportation  and  storage. 

F.  Group  Relationship. 

I.  Political: 

a.  General  Situation. 

b.  Organization. 

c.  Taxes. 

d.  Legislative  Restrictions  and  Regulations. 

e.  Courts. 

II.  Ameliorative,  Reformatory  and  Punitive. 

a.  Child  Care. 

b.  Charities. 

c.  Outdoor  Relief. 

d.  Homeless  men. 

e.  Defectives. 

f.  Other  agencies. 

g.  Juvenile  Delinquents, 
h.  Adult  Crime. 

III.  Recreation  and  Amusements. 

a.  General  Situation. 

b.  Playgrounds. 

c.  Athletics. 

d.  Dance  Halls  and  Theatres. 

e.  Clubs. 


26  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   A   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

f.  Saloons. 

g.  Holidays, 
h.  Summary. 

G.  Education: 

I.  Public  Schools: 

a.  Scope. 

b.  Administration. 

c.  Efficiency. 
II.  Private  Schools. 

III.  Libraries. 

IV.  Music  and  Art. 
V.  The  Press. 

VI.  Higher  Education. 
H.  Religious  Activities. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  A  CITY  SURVEY. 

Plan  A . 

There  are  so  many  conditioning  elements  which  enter  into  and  modify 
a  city  survey,  that  no  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down  as  the  only 
method  of  conducting  it.  However,  a  general  scheme  may  be  suggested 
which  can  be  developed  according  to  the  local  situation. 

The  very  first  requisite  for  making  a  survey  is  adequate  financial 
backing,  without  which  it  would  be  folly  even  to  commence  the  work. 
Hence,  some  local  organization  or  responsible  individuals  must  be  inter- 
ested and  willing  to  bear  the  necessary  expense  entailed. 

When  it  is  evident  that  a  survey  will  be  properly  financed  and  backed 
by  interested  parties,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  secure  some  person  of 
broad  experience  in  social  work  to  spend  a  week  or  ten  days  in  the  com- 
munity making  a  quick  diagnosis  of  the  local  conditions,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  to  make  a  report  outlining  a  plan  including  the  phases  of 
community  life  which  require  special  emphasis,  and  the  method  of 
procedure  to  be  followed. 

When  this  has  been  done,  the  next  step  will  of  course  largely  depend 
upon  the  recommendations  made  by  the  preliminary  survey.  Several 
methods  however  depending  upon  the  financial  resources  might  be 
adopted. 

a.  After  the  preliminary  investigation  by  a  first  class  man  has  been 
completed,  an  expert  in  each  line  might  be  commissioned  to  make  a 
quick  diagnosis  and  report  in  his  particular  field,  each  specialist  putting 
in  from  two  to  six  weeks  at  the  job.  This  series  of  reports  would  give  a 
basis  for  a  program  which  could  be  followed  for  several  years,  and 
would  include,  1.  Practical  measures  which  could  be  instituted  almost 
immediately,  2.  Steps  for  manufacturers  and  others  to  take  voluntarily, 
which  would  have  to  be  secured  through  a  campaign  of  social  education, 
3.  Governmental  or  other  changes  to  be  sought,  and,  4.  Action  which 
would  need  to  be  taken  on  a  large  scale  by  the  city,  and  would  necessitate 
the  appropriation  of  special  funds. 

b.  After  the  preliminary  survey,  instead  of  securing  experts  to  make 
investigations  along  their  special  lines,  get  one  trained  investigator  with 
considerable  experience  who  will  work  for  a  longer  period,  in  the  case  of  a 
large  city  for  a  year,  or  a  year  and  a  half,  and  have  him  cover  the  entire 
field  of  inquiry  with  the  aid  of  a  staff  of  paid  assistants,  supplemented  by 


28  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

volunteers.  Of  course,  if  funds  are  limited,  and  the  organization  sup- 
porting the  survey  is  willing  to  do  most  of  the  work,  the  expenses  may  be 
cut  flown  to  a  minimum,  although  it  is  best  not  to  depend  too  much 
upon  volunteers,  even  after  the  preliminary  investigations  by  an  expert 
has  been  made,  and  the  method  of  procedure  adopted. 

One  item  should  be  very  carefully  provided  for  in  making  a  survey  of 
a  community,  namely,  publicity.  Sufficient  funds  should  be  reserved 
to  get  the  findings  before  the  public.  Preliminary  reports  can  be  brought 
out  consecutively  in  the  newspapers,  which  should  be  enlisted  in  the 
interest  of  the  movement.  Here,  however,  never-ending  discretion 
must  be  used,  since  an  untimely  or  unwise  report  may  do  harm  which 
will  more  than  counterbalance  the  benefits  of  the  survey.  Every  house- 
hold in  the  city  should  be  reached  with  the  chief  elements  of  the  findings 
and  the  recommendations,  in  a  simple  but  very  graphic  manner,  while  a 
strong  committee  to  make  known  and  to  create  enthusiasm  in  the  inves- 
tigation and  in  the  suggested  measures,  by  means  of  newspapers,  civic 
exhibits,  etc.,  is  indispensable  if  the  highest  success  is  to  be  reached. 
But  no  public  reports  should  be  made,  except  for  a  definite  purpose, 
until  all  facts  are  obtained  and  tested. 

In  giving  these  suggestions,  we  have  had  in  mind  a  rather  large 
community-  However,  should  a  survey  of  a  small  community  be  made, 
the  same  general  course  would  be  followed,  except  that  instead  of  requir- 
ing several  weeks  of  an  expert's  time  for  making  the  preliminary  survey, 
perhaps  only  two  or  three  days  would  be  required.  Likewise,  the  funds 
might  make  it  impossible  to  secure  the  services  of  a  trained  worker  for 
conducting  the  entire  survey.  Nevertheless,  the  survey  may  be  success- 
fully carried  on  under  the  leadership  and  direction  of  some  intelligent 
and  deeply  interested  citizen. 

Sources   of  Information.     B. 

The  labor  connected  with  the  making  of  a  survey  will,  to  a  very  large 
extent  be  determined  by  the  ability  of  the  workers  to  find  the  most 
reliable,  the  most  comprehensive  as  well  as  the  most  accessible  sources 
of  information.  Conditions  will  vary  in  different  communities,  and  much 
will  depend  upon  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of  the  worker;  however,  there  are 
some  general  sources  of  information  which  we  shall  mention. 

a.  Official  Statistics. 

1.  The  census  reports  of  the  State  and  the  Federal  Government 
which  alternate  every  five  years. 


SUGGESTIONS   FOR   A   CITY   SURVEY  29 

2.  The  report  of  the  Health  Department  should  furnish  the  neces- 
sary information  needed  concerning  births,  marriages,  deaths,  etc., 
but  it  will  very  often  fail  to  do  so. 

3.  Crime  statistics  are  best  secured  from  the  court  records,  the 
records  and  reports  of  prisons,  the  reports  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities, 
or  similar  organizations,  and  the  reports  of  special  commissions  dealing 
with  crime.  Likewise  much  valuable  material  may  be  obtained  from 
judges,  court,  probation  and  police  officers. 

4.  For  industrial  statistics  use  the  Federal  Census,  the  report  of 
the  Factory  Inspector,  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  the  State  Census  and 
the  reports  of  other  official  bodies,  such  as  employment  bureaus,  boards 
of  trade,  etc. 

5.  Educational  Statistics  may  be  secured  from  the  Federal  Census, 
School  Census,  local  school  reports,  report  of  the  United  States  Com- 
missioner of  Education,  and  State  Commission  of  Education,  as  well  as 
through  personal  visits  to  schools,  inspection  of  their  books,  and  ques- 
tioning of  teachers  and  superintendents,  etc. 

All  these  official  reports  may  be  obtained  directly  through  the  depart- 
ments or  from  local  representatives. 

b.  Unofficial  Statistics. 

1 .  Reports  and  records  of  Philanthropic  Agencies. 

2.  Pay  rolls  and  reports  of  the  various  industrial  establishments. 

3.  Letters  to  all  local  labor  unions,  and  interviews  with  labor 
leaders. 

4.  Letters  and  personal  interviews  with  all  the  leading  establish- 
ments. 

5.  The  reports  of  private  commissions  and  other  private  agencies. 

6.  The  reports  of  banks  and  insurance  companies,  business  agen- 
cies, and  transportation  companies. 

c.  Legal  Information. 

1.  Federal  Statutes. 

2.  General  laws  of  the  State. 

3.  Special  State  Laws  relating  to  the  particular  locality,  or  similar 
localities. 

4.  City  Charter,  and  City  Ordinances. 

5.  Board  of  Aldermen,  Health  Board,  Police  Rules  and  Regulations. 

6.  Regulations  formed  by  the  various  departments  in  accordance 
with  the  powers  vested  in  them  by  law. 

7.  The  exact  wording  of  the  law  should  be  obtained  in  every  case. 

d.  General  Information. 


30  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

There  is  much  information  which  cannot  be  obtained  from  any  official 
sources,  but  which  must  be  derived  from  investigations  of  actual  condi- 
tions. But  before  any  such  investigations  are  undertaken  it  is  well  to 
have  consulted  all  persons  who  come  in  contact  with  those  conditions, 
such  as  officials,  and  social  workers.  In  this  way  the  work  will  be  greatly 
lessened,  by  interesting  a  large  circle  of  persons  who  are  informed  on  the 
questions  to  be  investigated,  and  who  may  be  able  to  point  out  means  of 
securing  the  desired  data  without  extra  work  or  delay. 

The  matter  of  collecting  and  properly  interpreting  statistics  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  and  can  hardly  be  over-emphasized,  since  carelessly 
selected  or  inaccurate  data  may  defeat  the  entire  work  of  the  survey. 
If  volunteer  or  inexperienced  workers  are  used,  never  ceasing  care  must 
be  observed  or  fatal  errors  will  slip  in.  Four  rules  suggested  by  Quetelet, 
for  obtaining  statistical  data,  sum  up  briefly  the  chief  sources  of  error: 

1.  Never  have  preconceived  ideas  as  to  what  the  figures  are  to 
prove. 

2.  Never  reject  a  number  that  seems  contrary  to  what  you  might 
expect,  merely  because  it  departs  a  good  deal  from  the  apparent  average. 

3.  Be  careful  to  weigh  and  record  all  possible  causes  of  an  event, 
and  do  not  attribute  to  one  what  is  really  the  result  of  a  combination  of 
several. 

4.  Never  compare  data  which  have  nothing  in  common. 


COMMUNITY  SURVEY 

A .   Introduction 

As  a  foundation  for  any  social  investigation  one  must  have  some 
general  idea  of  the  city  or  community  as  a  whole.  Its  character,  whether 
industrial,  composite  or  residential,  will  be  a  very  important  fact  in 
determining  the  method  of  procedure.  Each  community  has  a  distinct 
individuality  which  is  the  result  of  its  history,  its  early  inhabitants,  the 
causes  and  method  of  growth;  and  is  influenced  by  the  predominating 
nationality,  and  by  the  traditions  and  customs  which  the  various  factors 
have  developed  in  the  community.  The  prevailing  attitude  toward 
civic  improvements,  special  interest  in  some  particular  subject  and  the 
attitude  and  composition  of  the  local  official  bodies  must  all  be  considered 
as  well  as  of  private  organizations  and  individuals  who  may  either  help 
or  hinder  the  work  of  the  survey. 

1.  Is  the  community  to  be  surveyed,  a  chartered  city,  a  ward,  a 
village,  or  a  town,  if  none  of  these,  what  kind  of  unit?  (Often  when 
some  special  problem  is  studied  it  can  be  more  advantageously  done  by 
taking  a  limited  district  than  by  taking  the  community  as  a  whole.  See 
Kansas  City  Surveys.) 

2.  What  is  the  general  character  of  the  community,  residential, 
commercial,  manufacturing,  industrial,  or  composite? 

3.  What  were  the  important  causes  that  led  to  the  founding  and 
subsequent  growth  of  the  early  community? 

4.  Give  nationality  and  chief  characteristics  of  the  people  who  made 
up  the  early  community. 

5.  Trace  the  industrial  development  of  the  early  community. 
Has  its  growth  been  steady  or  intermittent?  Has  there  been  any  recent 
marked  change? 

6.  a  Is  the  industrial,  political,  and  social  situation  controlled  by 
the  descendants  of  the  first  settlers  or  by  more  recent  arrivals? 

6'  Influential  individuals  of  the  past? 
c'  Significant  events  of  the  past? 

7.  What  local  social  problem  is  of  especial  interest  to  the  community 
before  the  beginning  of  the  survey? 

8.  a'  Can  you  depend  upon  cooperation  of  public  officials  in  making 
the  survey? 

b'  Can  you  depend  upon  the  support  of  the  press? 


32  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

9.  Is  there  in  the  community,  any  group  of  men  or  women  who  are 
willing  to  bear  the  responsibility  and  are  capable  of  taking  up  the  work 
of  the  survey  in  a  devoted  and  intelligent  manner? 

Information  concerning  the  above  questions  may  be  obtained  largely 
by  going  over  newspaper  files,  talking  with  well-informed  citizens, 
business  men,  old  residents,  ministers,  priests,  teachers,  etc.,  and  referring 
to  the  various  city  and  census  reports.1 

B.  Natural  Physical  Conditions  (Geographical). 

The  geographical  conditions  of  a  community  are  generally  recognized 
in  making  a  survey  of  a  community  as  being  of  great  importance,  and  one 
of  the  very  first  factors  to  be  considered.  For,  while  the  geographical 
conditions  are  fixed,  and  are  very  little  changed  by  the  activities  of  men, 
except  in  such  matters  as  deforestation,  drainage  and  the  irrigation  of 
arid  regions,  the  activities  of  a  community,  its  industrial  character,  its 
inhabitants,  its  growth  and  life,  depend  largely  upon  its  geographical 
location,  its  climate,  natural  resources  and  character  of  surrounding 
country.2 

1.  Give  the  location  of  the  community  to  be  surveyed. 

a'.  Its  area,  b'.  Topography,  c'.    Source  of  water  supply,  d\ 
Natural  drainage,  and  e'.  Natural  scenic  advantages. 

2.  a'.  What  are  the  economic  resources  of  the  vicinity?  Its  soil  and 
products,  water  power,  mines,  quarries,  forests,  fisheries? 

b\  Are  the  natural  resources  of  a  permanent  nature?  If  they  are 
failing,  what  is  the  reason? 

c'.  Are  important  natural  resources  monopolized? 

3.  Is  the  community  near  any  large  water  front,  on  any  natural 
highway,  or  is  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  world  obstructed  by 
mountains  or  other  barriers? 

4.  Are  there  other  geographic  or  climatic  conditions  in  your  com- 
munity which  seem  to  be  important  factors  in  the  social  situation?  What 
gives  them  their  importance?3 

In  addition  to  the  sources  suggested  above  for  obtaining  information 
concerning  the  locality,  these  questions  may  be  answered  by  referring  to 

'Sec:  What  Social  Workers  Should  Know  About  Their  Own  Community,  by  Miss 
Byington,  p.  7-8;  Knowing  >  i  omntunity,  Aronovici,  p.  9. 

:  See:  E.  C.  Hayes,  "Effects  of  Geographic  Conditions  upon  Social  Realities," 
Am.  Jour.  Soc.  May,  1914;  Semple  and  Huntington,  Pulse  of  A  ia. 

3  Knowing  One's  Own  Community,  Aronovici,  p.  11.  Report  of  the  Cities  Commit- 
tee, Soc.  Society  (London,  Eng.),  on  Town  Thinning,  1909. 


COMMUNITY  SURVEY  33 

the  United  States  Geodetic  Survey  Department,  Soil  Surveys,  Agricul- 
tural Department,  and  Census  Reports,  other  publications  of  the  state 
and  federal  departments,  and  by  consulting  local  engineers. 

C.  Population. 

The  population  of  a  community  is  to  a  very  great  extent  dependent 
upon  the  geographical  conditions  in  which  it  lives.  The  development 
of  some  of  the  natural  resources,  as  coal,  iron,  oil,  or  drainage,  and  irriga- 
tion, as  well  as  advantageous  commercial  locations,  may  determine  the 
settling  of  large  groups  of  people,  often  of  newly  arrived  immigrants,  in 
congested  areas  in  which  there  is  bound  to  develop  social  conditions 
which  retard  and  often  seem  to  counteract  all  efforts  for  social  improve- 
ment. 

I.  Distribution  and  Density  of  Population. 

1.  a'.  What  is  the  total  population  of  the  community?  b'.  What 
is  the  average  number  per  acre?  c'.  Are  there  especially  congested  areas? 
Where?  Apparent  reason?  d'.  Number  per  acre? 

2.  What  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the  community  have  come 
from  other  localities  within  less  than  five  years?    . 

3.  Is  population  increasing,  decreasing,  or  stationary? 

4.  What  causes  tend  to  increase  or  decrease  population?  a'. 
Immigration,  b'.  Ratio  of  births  to  deaths. 

5.  What  number  of  families  have  moved  to  other  places  in  the 
past  year? 

6.  What  has  been  the  rate  of  growth  of  population  for  past  five 
census  periods? 

7.  Identify  quarters  of  the  city  in  which  are  assembled  people 
of  distinct  social  character  (racial,  industrial,  religious,  degenerate,  com- 
mercialized vice,  criminal). 

8.  a'.  Do  such  quarters  in  any  case  correspond  with  political 
wards?  b'.  Causes  of  such  localization? 

9.  How  is  the  residential  distribution  of  the  people  affected  by 
street  railroads,  by  steam  railroads,  by  location  of  industries,  topography, 
land  values,  and  rents? 

10.  Make  statistical  summary  of  data  obtained. 

It  is  often  well  in  making  a  survey  of  a  large  community  to  divide  it 
according  to  special  population  groups,  since  at  times  there  are  specific 
problems  peculiar  to  individual  localities.  Maps  should  be  made  of  these 
communities  indicating  their  difference  in  character.   (This  method  was 


34  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

successfully  followed  in  a  survey  made  at  Urbana,  Illinois  [the  report  of 
which  is  not  published].  A  section  of  the  city,  which  had  approximately 
1,000  inhabitants,  was  of  distinctly  different  composition  than  the  city 
proper,  although  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  families,  this  group 
was  distinctly  American.  While  the  city  is  a  university  town,  and  the 
county  seat  of  a  very  wealthy  agricultural  community,  here  is  an  isolated 
group  which  was  almost  entirely  industrial,  240  out  of  a  total  of  285  adult 
males  being  employed  in  the  Big  Four  car  shops,  and  in  brick  yards. 
Their  interests  and  many  of  their  social  activities  were  largely  localized, 
while  there  was  a  general  feeling  that  the  city  proper  neglected  them. 
If  civic  improvements  may  be  considered  an  index,  this  feeling  was  not 
without  foundation.)  The  federal  and  state  census  reports  will  be  the 
principal  sources  of  information,  although  local  official  records  and 
school  census  will  likewise  aid  materially.  Much  of  the  most  valuable 
data,  however,  will  be  secured  by  personal  investigation. 

It  is  usually  difficult  to  obtain  accurate  statistics  concerning  the  popu- 
lation. The  records  of  the  board  of  health  are  often  incomplete,  births 
are  not  registered,  deaths  improperly  registered,  and  population  figures 
between  census  years  are  often  merely  an  approximation  which  depends 
upon  someone's  point  of  view  and  may  be  exaggerated  or  diminished 
accordingly.  However,  an  investigation  may  lead  to  a  more  careful 
record  of  vital  statistics,  which  in  itself  would  be  worth  the  effort.  The 
following  study  involves  merely  the  general  considerations  of  the  problem. 
Further  details  will  readily  suggest  themselves  under  each  question. 
II.  Nationality. 

1.  Number  of  entire  population,  by  age,  sex,  and  nationality. 

2.  What  nationalities  are  on  the  increase?  b'.  On  the  decrease? 
c\  Is  the  cause  local? 

3.  a'.  Approximate  number  of  immigrants  by  nationality,  who 
arrived  during  the  last  two  years?  b\  Number  unmarried,  over  20  years, 
by  age  and  sex?  c'.  Number  of  children  below  five  years? 

4.  Average  marriage  age,  by  nationality? 

5.  What  per  cent  of  the  population  have  both  parents  of  the  same 
racial  stock? 

6.  What  organizations  are  there  which  help  in  the  proper  distri- 
bution of  immigrants?  Are  they  organized  for  commercial  purposes? 

III.  Domestic  Life. 
We  are  ever  confronted  by  new  problems  which  seem  almost  insur- 
mountable— because  their  very  solution  will  bring  about  an  entirely  new 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  35 

order  of  things.  Modern  economic  conditions  are  developing  new- 
domestic  problems.  Labor  formerly  done  in  the  homes,  is  now  being 
done  in  great  industrial  establishments,  making  it  necessary,  where 
the  husband  cannot  earn  enough  to  support  the  family,  for  the 
wife  to  go  abroad  and  secure  work.  Where  formerly  each  family  lived 
in  its  own  house,  great  numbers  are  now  crowded  into  one  building,* which 
destroys,  or  at  least  weakens  the  "home  spirit"  and  on  the  other  hand, 
because  of  a  constant  change  of  residence,  prevents  the  growth  of  a 
community  spirit,  which  formerly  existed. 

Instead  of  spending  the  hours  of  recreation  in  the  home,  the  young 
people  are  often  from  necessity  compelled  to  go  out  upon  the  streets  to 
spend  their  leisure,  and  while  the  home  used  to  be  the  great  molderof 
characters,  since  it  provided  for  all  the  spare  time  of  the  child,  it  has 
become  in  many  cases,  merely  the  place  where  some  of  the  meals  are 
eaten,  and  where  the  sleeping  hours  are  spent.  In  short,  the  new  condi- 
tions have  raised  the  age  of  marriage;  it  has  changed  the  industrial 
character  of  the  home;  weakened  the  home  spirit;  and  lessened  the  influ- 
ence of  home  life  in  the  development  of  the  child. 

1.  Has  the  commercial  or  industrial  life  of  the  community  any 
observable  effect  upon  domestic  life? 

2.  Is  anything  done  to  develop  interest  in  the  improvement  of 
home  conditions  of  laboring  people? 

3.  a'.  What  is  the  ratio  of  divorce  to  marriage  in  the  community? 
b'.  Among  what  races  is  divorce  the  most  prevalent?  c'.  Most 
frequent  grounds  for  divorce?  Has  the  church  any  influence  on  the 
question  of  divorce  in  this  community? 

4.  What  are  the  state  laws  regarding  non-support  and  desertion? 

5.  Has  a  deserter  ever  been  brought  back  to  this  state  by  extra- 


6.  Number  of  men  paying  for  support  of  families  by  order  of  the 


dition? 

court? 

7.  What  do  homes  in  the  community  offer  for  cultural  improve- 
ment and  enjoyment?  (See  Recreation) 

8.  For  lodging  houses,  see  Housing. 

9.  Labor  of  women  and  children. 

10.  School  attendance  and  other  cultural  activities,  see  Educa- 


tion. 


11.  Religious  Activities,  see  Religion. 


36  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

IV.  Vital  Statistics. 

1.  What  is  the  average  marriage  age  in  the  community? 
Average  marriage  age  of  unskilled  laborers? 
Average  marriage  age  of  skilled  laborers? 

Average  marriage  age  of  salaried  persons? 

Average  marriage  age  of  professionals? 

Number  of  childless  families  after  three  years  married  life? 

Number  of  families  with  one  child  after  five  years  married  life? 

Number  of  persons  unmarried  and  over  20  years  of  age? 

2.  Is  there  any  local  influence  which  tends  to  raise  or  lower  the 
marriage  age? 

3.  Annual  birth-rate  by  nationality  per  thousand  of  population? 

4.  Annual  death-rate  per  thousand  population,  during  the  last 
five  years? 

5.  Annual  death-rate  per  thousand  children  under  five  years? 
Under  one  year? 

6.  What  is  the  annual  death-rate,  by  nationalities,  for  the  past 
five  years? 

7.  Give  the  annual  death-rate  for  each  of  the  more  prevalent, 
preventable,  and  contagious  diseases,  as — occupational  diseases,  indus- 
trial accidents,  tuberculosis,  typhoid,  measles,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever, 
pneumonia,  and  intestinal  diseases,  for  each  ward,  and  for  city  as  a  whole? 
Show  distribution  of  deaths  from  different  diseases  on  map. 

8.  Make  statistical  summary  of  all  data  under  "Population." 

D.  Social  Conditions  and  Activities,  Relating  to  the  Health,  Convenience,  and 
Comfort  of  the  Community* 

I.  Housing. 
The  housing  conditions  of  a  community  affect  practically  every 
aspect  of  its  social  well-being,  and  is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in 
determining  the  health  and  morals  of  the  community.  In  making  a  study 
of  the  housing  conditions  it  is  necessary  first,  to  be  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  existing  laws  and  regulations  affecting  the  condition  and  methods 
of  construction  of  houses  and  tenements,  and  the  extent  to  which  they 
are  enforced.  Likewise,  there  should  be  more  or  less  familiarity  with  the 
housing  conditions  of  other  communities  similarly  located.  Most  medi- 
um sized  American  cities  have  very  meager  housing  laws,  and  hence  it  is 
often  necessary  to  secure  legislation  of  some  sort  before  the  simplest 

4  See,  Henderson,  C.  R.,  Social  Elements — Appendix. 


\s 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  37 

official  action  can  be  secured.  There  was  a  case  in  a  medium  sized  city 
in  Illinois,  which  illustrates  this  point.  A  case  of  typhoid  was  found  in  a 
family  which  came  to  the  attention  of  the  United  Charities  of  that  city. 
The  attending  physician  traced  its  origin  to  the  cellar,  where  there  was 
a  seepage  through  the  thin  brick  wall,  caused  by  a  defective  sewer  pipe. 
The  landlord  paid  no  attention  to  complaints,  and  the  city  authorities 
did  not  feel  that  they  had  power  to  act.  It  was  not  until  the  matter 
was  about  to  be  referred  to  the  State  Board  of  Health  that  any  action  by 
the  landlord  could  be  obtained.  Merely  getting  ordinances  passed, 
however,  without  sufficient  machinery  to  see  that  they  are  enforced  is 
almost  worse  than  no  laws  whatever,  hence  if  any  legislative  action  is 
obtained,  provision  should  likewise  be  made  for  efficient  inspection  and 
enforcement.5 

a.  Industrial  tenements  and  rooming  houses. 

1.  a'.  Do  any  industries  furnish  houses  for  their  employees? 
b\  Are  they  individual  cottages?  c'.  What  is  their  character? 

2.  a'.  Character  and  management  of  boarding  houses.  Number, 
location  and  character  of  lodging  houses?  b'.  Number  of  lodgers  in  each? 
c\  Amount  of  bed  room  space  per  lodger?  d'.  Are  there  night  and  day 
shifts  in  any? 

3.  a'.  Number  of  hotels  and  rooming  houses?  b'.  Regulations 
concerning  them?  c'.  Are  they  enforced?  By  whom? 

4.  Are  there  any  rooming  houses  provided  by  philanthropic 
agencies?   Capacity?  Condition? 

b.  Private  houses  and  tenements. 

1.  What  are  the  requirements  regarding, — a'.  Light  and  ventila- 
tion of  halls  and  rooms?  b'.  Vacant  spaces  in  yards  or  courts?  c'.  Surface 
water?  d'.  Sewer  connections?  Shallow  wells  and  other  sources  of  water 
supply?  e'.  Indoor  closets?  f.  The  use  of  cellars  for  living  purposes? 
g'.  Fire  escapes? 

2.  Are  there  any  special  provisions  for  new  or  remodeled  houses 
and  tenements? 

3.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  inspectors  of  each  department? 
b'.  Plumbing,  wiring,  housing,  etc.? 

6  Housing  Reform  and  A  Model  Tenement  House  Law  by  Lawrence  Veiller,  N.  Y. 
Charities  Publishing  Comm.,  105  E.  Twenty-second  Street.  What  Social  Workers 
Should  Know.  Miss  Byington.  Labor  and  Administration,  by  John  R.  Commons 
contains  a  Dwelling  House  Score  Card,  which  has  been  found  to  be  very  efficient, 
since  it  serves  to  standardize  reports  made  in  a  house  to  house  investigation. 


38  SOCIAL   SURVEYS    OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

4.  Do  they  inspect  on  their  own  initiative,  at  stated  times  or 
only  on  complaint? 

^      5.  a'.  Have  the  inspectors  the  power  to  vacate  unfit  houses? 
b\  Method  of  procedure? 

6.  a'.  What  was  the  number  of  violations  last  year?  b'.  Nature 
of  the  violations?  c\  Action  taken?  d'.    Disposal  made  of  them? 
c.  Special  Questions  for  House  to  House  Investigation. 

1.  a'.  What  are  the  general  surroundings  of  dwelling  place,  size  of 
yard,  or  court?  b'.  per  cent  of  lot  covered  by  building?  c'.  In  what  con- 
dition is  it  kept? 

2.  a'.  Is  there  surface  drainage?  b'.  Is  live  stock  kept  on  the 
premises?  c'.  If  so,  under  what  conditions. 

3.  a'.  Do  inhabitants  show  any  degree  of  pride  in  the  appearance 
of  their  dwellings?  b'.  Are  they  encouraged  to  do  so? 

4.  Is  air  poisoned  by  fumes,  gases,  dust  or  smoke  from  factories, 
railroads,  or  marshes? 

5.  a'.  Number  of  rooms  per  family?  b'.  Number  in  each  family; 
number  of  adults;  number  of  children?  c'.  Floor  space  per  family?  d'.  Are 
boarders  or  roomers  taken  to  help  pay  rent? 

6.  Give  general  type  of  building. 

7.  Has  the  building  sewer  connections?  If  not,  disposition  made? 

8.  a'.  What  per  cent  of  apartments  have  toilet  facilities  in  com- 
mon with  others?  b'.  What  is  condition  of  plumbing?  c'.  Type  of  toilet 
ventilation? 

9.  a'.  Number  of  outdoor  closets?  b\  In  what  condition  kept? 
c'.  Number  using  them?  d'.  Are  they  connected  with  sewer? 

10.  a'.  What  is  source  of  water  supply?  b'.  By  how  many  persons 
used? 

11.  a'.  Are  buildings  well  lighted  and  ventilated?  b\  Number  of 
dark  or  ill  ventilated  rooms  and  halls? 

12.  Is  cause  of  their  being  dark  and  ill  ventilated  due  to  nearness 
to  other  buildings,  aid  shaft,  or  interior  room? 

13.  Number  poorly  lighted  and  ventilated  rooms,  i.  e.,  having 
window  space  less  than  20  per  cent  of  floor  space? 

14.  Are  there  any  cellar  or  basement  dwellings?  Number?  Condi- 
tions? 

15.  a'.  What  is  the  general  condition  of  cleanliness?  b\  Is  it 
due  to  carelessness  of  inhabitants? 

16.  Are  tenements  or  lodging  houses  properly  provided  with  fire 
escapes? 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  39 

17.  Summary  of  questions  under  preceding  head:  a'.  Number 
of  houses  examined  which  are  seriously  defective?  b\  Number  of 
families  in  each?  c'.  Number  of  persons  affected?  d'.  Number  of  children? 
e'.  Number  of  cellar  and  basement  dwellings?  V.  Number  of  buildings 
which  cover  50%  of  lot?  75%?  g'.  Badly  kept  yard  and  surroundings? 
h\  Number  of  families  having  one  room?  Two  rooms?  Three  room-? 
Four  rooms?  i\  Number  houses  without  sewer  connections?  k\  Lack 
of  proper  toilet  facilities?  Water  supply?  1'.  Light  and  ventilation? 
m'.  Lack  of  fire  escapes? 

18.  How  do  old  and  new  tenements  compare  in  the  light  of  this 
investigation? 

19.  Is  the  erection  of  new  buildings  properly  regulated  by 
building  laws?     Compare  with  laws  of  other  cities. 

20.  What  special  needs  has  this  investigation  disclosed? 
II.  Public  Utilities. 

The  rapid  development  of  public  utilities  and  their  proper  manage- 
ment and  control  is  becoming  of  ever  increasing  importance.  Formerly 
keeping  up  the  highways  and  bridges  was  the  extent  to  which  a  town  was 
compelled  to  go.  To  this  was  soon  added  sewage  and  garbage  disposal, 
the  water  supply,  fire  protection,  lighting  of  streets,  the  problem  of  local 
transportation  and  control  of  street  traffic.  In  fact  municipal  life  has 
become  so  complicated  and  so  dependent  upon  the  services  of  these 
various  utilities  that  the  failure  of  any  one  to  function  properly  will 
affect  the  life  of  the  entire  community,  and  may  result  in  untold  hardship. 

Before  taking  up  the  study  of  the  Public  Utilities  it  is  well  to  become 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  different  forms  of  control  adopted  in  different 
states  of  the  Union,  notably,  Massachusetts,  New  York,  and  Wisconsin, 
and  the  methods  used  by  the  leading  American  cities  as  well  as  the 
methods  followed  in  European  countries.6 
a.  Streets  and  Local  Transportation. 

1.  Condition  of  streets?  a'.  Types  of  paving?  b'.  Mileage  of  each? 

2.  a'.  Under  what  legal  and  municipal  conditions  are  new  st nets 

8  Control  of  Public  Utilities,  see: 
Proceedings  of  Political  Science  Association,  1910; 
Proceedings  of  X at' I  Mun.  League,  1910. 

Annals  of  t lie  American  Academy  of  Soc.  and  Pol.  Sci.,  May.  1910. 
Meyers,  B.  H.,  American  Pol.  Sci.  Review,  1911. 
Baker,  Mun.  Engineering  and  Sanitation. 
Fairlie,  J.  A.,  Municipal  Administration,  ch.  II. 
Goodhue,  Municipal  Government. 


40  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

laid  out?  b'.  Are  existing  streets  properly  located?  c'.  Is  their  width 
adapted  to  their  use?  d'.  Is  there  street  parking? 

3.  Character  of  bridges;  viaducts;  grade-crossings? 

4.  Method  and  frequency  of  street  cleaning,  sweeping  or  flushing? 

5.  a'.  Are  the  ordinances  referring  to  streets  applied  to  alleys  as 
well?  b'.  Are  they  enforced? 

6.  Kind  of  local  transportation  facilities?  a'.  Are  facilities  ade- 
quate and  satisfactory?  b'.  Municipal  or  private? 

7.  If  privately  owned,  terms  of  franchise  contract? 

b.  Sewage  and  Garbage  Disposal. 

1.  a'.  Is  there  an  adequate  sewer  system?  b\  Does  it  cover  all 
parts  of  the  community?  c'.  Make  map  of  community  showing  extent 
of  system. 

y/         2.  Is  there  an  ordinance  with  respect  to  connecting  all  buildings 
with  sewer?  To  what  extent  enforced?  If  not  enforced,  why  not? 
v      3.  What  disposition  is  made  of  the  sewage? 

4.  a'.  If  there  is  a  disposal  plant,  type  and  method  of  conducting 
it?  b'.  If  not,  does  disposition  of  sewage  in  any  way  endanger  the  water 
supply? 

5.  Does  city  collect  garbage?  a'.  Method?  b'.  Frequency?  Cost? 

6.  a'.  If  city  does  not,  how  is  it  disposed  of? 

7.  Are  alleys  and  backyards  kept  free  from  refuse? 

c.  Water,  Fire  protection,  Light  and  Heat. 

1.  a'.  Source  of  public  water  supply?  b'.  Municipal  or  private 
plants?  c'.  Consumption  per  capita?  Meter  or  flat  rates?  Extent  of  each? 
d\  Sanitary  character  of  water?  (B — 1  c'.) 

2.  Is  there  adequate  fire  protection?  Compare  with  that  of  other 
cities. 

3.  Do  water  mains  go  to  all  parts  of  the  community? 

4.  Number  of  houses  not  connected? 

5.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  open  or  shallow  wells?  b'.  Number 
unprotected  from  surface  drainage?  c'.  Other  wells? 

6.  Make  map  showing  location  of  all  objectionable  wells  aRd  out- 
door closets  in  the  city. 

In  the  survey  of  Urbana,  Illinois,  mentioned  above,  it  was  found  that 
while  the  city  has  an  excellent  water  system,  a  portion  of  the  city,  gener- 
ally known  as  East  Urbana,  received  little  of  its  benefits, — in  fact,  the 
mains  extended  along  but  one  side  of  it,  thus  depriving  them  of  practically 
all   fire  protection.     An  investigation  of  the  water  supply  revealed  the 


COMMUNITY    SURVEY  41 

following:  Shallow  open  wells  124;  bored  wells  8;  city  water  13;  Of 
these  17  wells  were  considered  unfit  for  use  at  the  lime  this  investigation 
was  made,  but  it  was  said  that  in  the  spring  of  the  year  it  was  usual  for 
some  of  the  wells  to  "go  bad."  This  same  investigation  revealed  142 
privies  and  water-closets  unconnected  with  the  sewer,  and  only  5  houses 
had  modern  plumbing.  In  spite  of  these  conditions,  people  were  sur- 
prised at  the  high  annual  death-rate  from  typhoid. 

7.  a'.  What  means  of  public  lighting  are  there?  b\  Are  plants 
owned  by  the  city  or  private  companies? 

8.  How  does  cost  of  light  compare  with  other  cities? 

9.  a'.  Are  there  any  public  or  municipal  heating  or  power  plants? 
b'.  Extent  used? 

d.  Other  Utilities  and  Improvements. 

1.  a'.  What  are  the  facilities  for  handling  and  distributing  mail? 
b\  Are  needs  of  city  adequately  supplied? 

2.  Is  telegraph  service  good? 

3.  a'.  What  per  cent  of  families  use  the  telephone?  b\  Is  there 
more  than  one  system? 

4.  a'.  What  public  buildings,  markets,  public  baths,  comfort 
stations,  hospitals,  in  the  community?  Value?  Location  as  to  convenience 
and  appearance?  Adaptation  to  use?  b'.  In  what  condition  are  they  kept? 
c\  Are  there  any  in  process  of  construction? 

5.  What  centers  in  community  whose  purpose  is  to  add  conven- 
ience, comfort  and  beauty? 

6.  What  efforts  are  made  to  improve  the  general  appearance  of 
the  city? 

7.  Are  telephone  poles,  unsightly  lampposts,  etc.  tolerated? 

8.  What  provisions  are  made  for  tree  planting,  parking,  etc.? 
There  are  various  kinds  of  public  utilities  which  have  not  been  men- 
tioned here,  since  they  are  not  as  prevalent  as  those  above  noted;  but  the 
investigation  of  which  should  be  based  upon  the  general  considerations, 
which  were  suggested  in  some  detail  above.  The  course  to  be  followed 
in  making  the  investigations  consists  in : 

1.  Conference  with  officials  and  employees  of  the  particular  utility. 

2.  Survey  of  its  activities,  transactions  and  records. 

3.  Detailed  study  of,  a',  operating  processes,  b'.  business  trans- 
actions, c'.  accounting,  d'.  administration,  e'.  organization. 

4.  Study  of  the  mechanical  and  technical  work  performed. 

5.  Operating  performance  and  efficiency. 

6.  Making  of  report,  with  suggestions  for  reorganization,  im- 


42  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

provement  of  plant,  as  well  as  any  failure  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity. 

III.  Diseases  and  Health  Measures. 

1.  a'.  What  is  death-rate  by  wards  for  past  five  years?  b\  Appar- 
ent cause  of  excess  in  any  ward? 

2.  a'.  Is  it  more  prevalent  among  certain  racial  groups?  b'.  Any 
apparent  reason? 

3.  Number  of  cases  of  each  contagious  disease  reported  or  known 
within  past  two  years?  Make  chart  of  principal  diseases  on  basis  found 
among  different  nationalities. 

4.  a'.  What  quarantine  measures  are  used?  b'.  Diseases  not 
quarantined? 

7  5.  Do  physicians  and  midwives  report  all  births?  Are  mid  wives 
licensed?  What  precautions  are  taken  against  Opthalmia  Neonatorum? 

6.  a.  What  epidemics  have  there  been  in  the  last  five  years? 
b'.  Number  affected?  c'.  Number  who  received  free  treatment  in  hospi- 
tals or  dispensaries?  d'.  For  what  disease? 

7.  Has  recurrence  of  epidemic  from  same  cause  been  prevented? 
If  any  disease  has  been  especially  prevalent,  what  seems  to  be  the  cause? 

8.  a'.  Medical  inspection  of  schools?  How  adequate?  b'.  Number 
of  children  absenting  themselves  from  school  during  the  past  year  because 
of  illness?  Number  of  days  lost? 

9.  Has  school  been  closed  on  account  of  epidemics? 

10.  a'.  Number  of  cases  of  illness  discovered  among  school 
children  by  medical  examiner?  b'.  Nature  of  illness?  c'.  Number  of  cases 
of  tuberculosis  found  among  children? 

8  11.  a'.  WTiat  other  measures  are  taken  regarding  health  inspec- 
tion in  the  community?  (See  Sewage  and  Garbage.)  b'.  What  are  the 
state  regulations  regarding  sanitation  in  industrial  establishments? 

9  12.  Is  there  special  need  of  health  education  among  the  people  at 
large  in  regard  to  care  of  homes. 

7  For  information  write  to  "The  Committee  on  the  Prevention  of  Blindness,"  105 
E.  Twenty-second  Street,  New  York  City. 

8  Note  especially  the  laws  of  New  York,  Massachusetts  and  Illinois  on  Factory 
Sanitation.     They  are  among  the  best  in  the  United  States. 

*  Much  may  be  done  toward  improving  health  conditions  in  a  city  by  campaigns 
for  health.  Possibly  as  much  has  been  done  in  this  line  in  Chicago  (See  Health  Bulle- 
tin) as  in  any  city  in  the  country.  Cooperation  of  all  the  different  organizations  possi- 
ble working  h;md  in  hand  with  the  Health  Department  is  sure  to  decrease  any  prevail- 
ing evil.  Individuals  must  be  educated  to  observe  rules  of  health,  and  cooperation  of 
public  must  be  secured  to  enforce  laws. 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  43 

13.  a'.  What  regulations  are  there  concerning  food  and  milk 
inspection,  etc.?  b'.  Water  supply  (B — 1  c\) 

10  14.  a'.  Is  health  department  a  separate  department  or  a  subdi- 
vision of  another  department?  b'.  Is  there  need  of  separate  departments? 
c'.  Compare  local  conditions  with  other  cities. 

15.  What  has  been  done  to  increase  knowledge  of  the  care  of 
health?  (See  Chicago  Health  Bulletin.) 

16.  Is  there  need  of  a  more  rigid  enforcement  of  laws  regarding 
the  reporting  of  all  forms  of  contagious  diseases?  (See  California  and  New- 
York  Regulations.) 

17.  What  work  has  been  done  by  the  various  societies  for  the 
prevention  of  disease? 

18.  Is  fumigation  required  after  tuberculosis  cases? 

19.  a'.  Are  death  reports  and  especial  causes  discussed  in  the 
daily  press?  b\  Do  they  attract  attention?  (See  1-9  above.) 

20.  Summarize  and  Chart  data  obtained  from  queries  1  to  10 

E.  Wealth  and  Industry. 
I.  Distribution  of  Wealth. 
A  knowledge  of  the  distribution  of  wealth  in  a  community  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  assets  of  a  social  worker,  since  upon  the  matter  of  income  is 
based  much  of  the  community  and  individual  welfare.  The  social  status 
of  a  community  is  so  dependent  upon  the  economic  status,  that  in  an  in- 
dustrial community  where  income  resolves  itself  into  wages  and  steadi- 
ness of  employment,  a  study  of  those  items  will  give  one  more  insight  into 
social  conditions  than  any  other  single  study  could  reveal.  Much  of  the 
data  required  may  be  secured  from  reports  and  records  of  philanthropic 
agencies,  pay  rolls,  and  reports  of  various  industrial  establishments, 
banks,  insurance  companies,  and  other  sources  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  different  studies  already  suggested. 

1.  Is  there  much  poverty  in  the  community? 

2.  Is  the  proportion  of  persons  without  any  property  increasing 
or  decreasing? 

3.  a'.  What  is  the  per  capita  wealth  of  the  community  according 
to  tax  valuation?  According  to  estimate?  b'.  How  great  are  the  extremes 
of  wealth? 

4.  a'.  What  per  cent  in  gainful  occupations  or  heads  of  families 
have  an  income  of  $5,000  or  over  per  year?  b'.  Of  $2,500?  c\    Of  SI, 000 

10  "The  Inefficiency  of  Municipal  Health  Departments,"  by  Dr.  G.T.  Palmer,  The 

American  City,  August,  1911. 


44  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF  URBAN  COMMUNITIES 

to  $2,500?  d'.  Of  less  than  $1,000?  What  per  cent  have  an  income  of 
$15  per  week  or  less? 

5.  Classes  of  common  labor  most  numerously  represented,  and 
wages  of  each?  Proportion  of  each? 

6.  Per  cent  of  families  who  are  aided  by  charity  and  who  are 
habitual  debtors?  a'.  How  many  families  own  their  homes?  b'.  Number 
who  rent?  c'.  Per  cent  of  each? 

7.  Is  the  tendency  to  own  homes  on  the  increase  or  decrease? 

8.  a'.  What  is  the  average  value  of  individually  owned  homes? 
b\  Per  cent  free  from  mortgages? 

9.  a'.  Are  there  building  loan  associations?  b'.  Conditions? 

10.  a'.  Per  cent  of  people  earning  salaries  who  own  homes? 
b'.  Per  cent  earning  wages? 

11  11.  a'.  What  are  the  chief  causes  of  poverty?  b\  Is  there  any 
effort  being  made  to  rectify  them? 

12  12.  How  does  the  cost  of  living  (fuel,  rent,  light,  water  and  food) 
compare  with  the  rate  of  wages? 

13  13.  a'.  How  do  these  conditions  compare  with  similar  communi- 
ties in  other  parts  of  the  state?  b'.  With  similar  communities  in  other 
states? 

14.  a'.  Per  cent  of  laboring  people  who  have  deposits  in  bank? 
Total  deposits  in  savings  banks,  average  amount  per  depositor?  b\  Is 
there  a  Postal  Savings  Bank?  c\  Extent  patronized? 

15.  Are  there  any  organizations  which  loan  money  to  workers  on 
their  notes  at  reasonable  rate  of  interest?  Tell  what  they  are,  and  their 
methods. 

16.  Total  amount  of  money  transmitted  to  foreign  countries 
last  year? 

II.  Industrial  Activities. 
Facts  concerning  the  industrial  activities  of  the  community  may  be 
secured  to  some  extent  from  employers  of  labor,  labor  leaders,  and  from 
the  board  of  trade,  or  chamber  of  commerce  as  well  as  from  magazines 

11  See  Poverty  by  Robert  Hunter. 

12  For  study  of  family  Budgets  see  Study  of  Chicago  Stockyards  Community  by 
J.  C.  Kennedy  and  others.  Standard  of  Living  Among  Workingmcn's  Families  by 
R.  C.  Chapin,  Charities  Publishing  Company,  New  York  and  Chicago.  Cost  of 
Living  by  Ellen  Richards.  A  Living  Wage  Samuel  Gompers,  The  American  Fcdera- 
tionalisl,  April,  1898. 

15  Wages  in  the  United  Stales  Scott  Nearing.  "Legal  Minimum  Wage  in  the  U.  S." 
by  A.  M.  Holcombe,  Am.  Econ.  Rev.  Vol.  2,  Fabian  Socialist  Tract,  No.  128. 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  45 

and  newspapers.  Likewise  some  states  have  departments  of  labor  from 
which  a  certain  amount  of  data  may  be  obtained.  However,  the  inves- 
tigator must  carefully  check  up  all  data  received  from  these  various 
sources  and  bureaus,  and  supplement  it  by  data  obtained  by  individual 
investigation. 

a.  Control  of  Industries. 

1.  What  are  state  laws  governing  age  limits,  hours,  conditions 
and  kind  of  industries  in  which  women  and  children  may  be  employed? 
Compare  with  laws  of  leading  states.    How  enforced? 

2.  What  legal  restrictions  are  placed  on  tenement  industries? 
(See  Holden  v.  Hardy  169,  U.  S.  366;  Otis  v.  Parker  187,  U.  S.  606;  re 
Jacobs  98  N.  Y.  98,  103,  112-114.  Cases  seem  to  show  that  legislature 
cannot  get  away  from  prevailing  economic  status.) 

3.  a'.  Are  age  certificates  required  in  this  state?  b\  Number 
issued  in  community  last  year?  c'.  Number  exceptions  to  the  law  allowed? 
Reasons? 

4.  a'.  Number  of  prosecutions  for  violation?  b'.  Number  of 
convictions? 

5.  Are  records  kept  and  reports  made  to  a  state  department? 

6.  Compare  industrial  laws  of  your  state  and  community  with 
those  of  others. 

7.  How  do  the  general  labor  conditions  compare  with  those  of 
other  communities? 

8.  a'.  Has  work  been  suspended  during  recent  years  because  of 
strikes  and  lockouts?  b\  Number  of  industries  and  workers  affected? 

9.  What  have  been  the  results  of  the  more  important  strikes  in 
last  few  years? 

10.  Give  number  and  type  of  trade  unions,  employers  unions, 
protective  agencies,  etc.} 

Concerning  each  of  the  above:  a'.  Dues,  amounts,  and  methods  of 
grading  collection?  b'.  Accounts  properly  kept?  Reports  published? 
c'.  Affiliated  with  any  other  organization?  Is  work  duplicated  by  any? 
d'.  What  insurance  features?  Educational?  e\  Method  used  by  each  to 
improve  conditions?  f.  Do  unions  seem  to  increase  or  to  diminish  effici- 
ency of  laborers?  g'.  What  has  been  the  effect  of  local  labor  union  on 
wages,  Sunday  labor,  and  sanitary  condition  of  laborers?  h'.  How  are 
unions  in  general  regarded  by  community?  Is  label  demanded  on  goods? 

b.  Specific  questions  for  individual  industries. 


46  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

1.  a'.  Value  of  plant?  b'.  Value  of  output?  c'.  Could  the  capital 
for  supplying  the  required  machinery  be  supplied  by  workers  themselves? 

2.  a'.  Total  number  of  employees?  b'.  Number  of  nationalities? 
c'.  Number  of  men,  women,   children?  d'.  Number  married,   (men, 
women)?  e'.  Per  cent  skilled?  Unskilled? 

3.  Average  wages  of  each  class? 

14  4.  Extent  that  labor  in  this  industry  is  seasonal,  casual,  or  per- 
manent? 

5.  What  is  average  number  of  days  worked  by  skilled?  Unskilled? 

6.  a'.  What  opportunity  does  it  give  for  training  or  advance- 
ment? b'.  Is  apprentice  system  in  vogue? 

7.  a'.  Is  there  a  pension  fund?  b'.  Accident  insurance?  c\  Profit 
sharing?  Type  of  each  (compare  with  German  and  English  systems). 

8.  What  are  the  methods  for  obtaining  work? 

9.  a'.  What  are  the  hours  of  work?  b'.  Number  days  per  week? 
c'.  Overtime,  if  paid? 

10.  What  is  the  maximum  and  minimum  amount  of  employment 
offered  in  this  industry? 

11.  What  are  the  general  conditions  under  which  labor  is  carried 
on?  a'.  Is  fire  protection  adequate?  b'.  Machinery  safeguards?  c'.  What 
is  the  condition  of  lighting  in  the  place  of  work?  d'.  Is  there  proper  ven- 
tilation? e'.  Are  women  and  children  segregated  from  men?  f.  Are  there 
proper  toilet  facilities? 

12.  What  is  the  existing  attitude  between  laborers  and  employ- 
ers? Is  there  any  arrangements  for  deciding  disputes? 

c.  General  Summary. 

1.  a'.  What  are  the  manufacturing  industries  in  this  com- 
munity? b'.  Number  of  operating  establishments  in  each  industry?  Total 
employed? 

2.  Number  of  other  businesses  such  as  banks,  stores,  restaurants, 
livery  barns,  hotels,  post  office,  telegraph  and  telephone,  and  express 

u  Of  even  greater  importance  than  the  rate  of  wages  paid,  is  fluctuation  in  the 
demand  for  labor  by  industrial  establishments.  Not  only  does  seasonal  labor  materi- 
ally affect  the  income,  but  the  community  life  becomes  unstable,  thriftless,  and 
changing. 

Unemployment  in  the  U.  S.  Final  Rep.  of  Industrial  Com. 

Problem  of  the  Unemployed,  Hobson. 

Encyclopedia  of  Social  Reform. 

Reports  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Labor. 

Report  of  Mayor's  Commission  on  Unemployment,  Chicago,  1914. 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  47 

companies,  railroads,  offices  of  professional  men,  etc.?  Total  employed? 

3.  a'.  Total  output  and  total  capital  employed  in  all  manufac- 
turing industries?  b\  In  other  industries? 

4.  Give,  if  possible,  the  total  number,  and  average  wages  of  each 
of  the  following  classes:  a'.  Men,  skilled,  unskilled,  b'.  Women,  skilled, 
unskilled,  c'.  children,  d'.  What  is  average  number  of  days  per  year, 
each  class  is  employed? 

5.  What  lines  of  work  are  carried  on  by  laborers  aside  from 
regular  employment? 

6.  What  is  the  maximum  and  minimum  amount  of  employment 
offered  by  all  employment  giving  agencies  in  the  citv? 

7.  What  is  the  total  number  of  persons  in  the  city  dependent 
upon  employment?  How  do  these  two  items  compare? 

8.  a'.  What  per  cent  of  people  seek  employment  elsewhere? 
b'.  Are  they  forced  to  do  so?  Is  there  a  free  employment  agency  in  the 
city? 

9.  What  effect  has  scarcity  or  over  supply  of  labor  on  commun- 
ity? 

10.  Extent  of  growth  of  various  industries  in  the  last  ten  years? 

11.  a'.  Have  any  new  industries  been  developed  or  old  ones 
bought  out,  suspended  or  absorbed  by  larger  concerns  in  the  last  ten 
years?  b'.  Have  industries  absorbed  been  bought  out  by  local  competitors 
or  outside  interests? 

12.  What  is  the  legal  or  financial  connection  between  any  of 
the  industries? 

13.  To  what  extent  are  industries  owned  by  outsiders? 

14.  Does  method  of  taxation  have  an  effect  on  establishment  of 
new  industries? 

15.  Are  industries  dependent  on  each  other's  products? 

16.  Extent  to  which  manufacturies  are  carried  on  in  tenements 
or  other  buildings  not  adapted  for  industrial  purposes. 

17.  a'.  What  products  are  manufactured  in  "sweat  shops"? 
b'.  Under  what  conditions?  c\  Wages?  d'.  To  what  extent  are  children 
employed  in  them? 

III.  Transportation  and  Storage. 

1.  WTiat  railroad  lines  pass  through  the  city? 

2.  a'.  Give  number,  capacity,  etc.  of  warehouses,  elevators,  and 
cold  storage  plants.  Are  they  adequate  and  convenient?  b'.  Include 
map  of  the  chief  lines  of  transportation  and  communication. 


48  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN  COMMUNITIES 

3.  a'.  To  what  extent  is  this  a  distributing  center?  b'.  Commodi- 
ties chiefly  shipped? 

4.  a'.  What  places  of  importance  are  within  easy  distance? 
b'.  Does  this  enable  men  to  pass  to  or  from  adjacent  cities  for  daily  work? 

5.  What  water  connections  has  city?  a'.  Are  there  any  regular 
steamship  routes?  b'.  Number  of  lines  and  routes?  Number  and  size  of 
vessels?  c'.  Where  to?  d'.  Size  and  number  of  docks?  Dock  equipment? 

6.  How  does  the  freight  and  passenger  service  compare  in  cost, 
convenience,  and  speed  with  that  of  the  railroad? 

7.  How  do  the  rates  of  steamships  and  railroads  on  fuel,  lumber 
and  food  supply  affect  the  local  prices  of  these  necessities?  Compare 
prices  of  staple  articles  with  prices  in  other  communities  which  do  not 
have  the  same  transportation  facilities. 

F.  Group  Relationship. 
I.  Political. 
In  many  cities  there  is  already  established  a  Bureau  of  Public  Effici- 
ency, a  Civic  League,  or  similar  organization  whose  purpose  it  is  to  keep 
in  touch  with  the  local  political  situation.     Where  this  is  the  case  many 
phases  of  the  problem  have  been  thoroughly  studied  and  the  cooperation 
of  such  organizations  is  essential  in  obtaining  the  best  results.     In  fact 
in  all  phases  of  survey  work,  one  of  the  very  first  things  to  be  done  is 
to  get  in  touch  with  existing  organizations  in  order  to  correlate  the  work 
already  done  by  various  bodies.15 
a.  General  Situation. 

1.  a'.  Is  community  a  political  unit?  b'.  Has  it  a  special  or  gen- 
eral charter?  c'.  What  changes  in  the  charter  in  the  last  fifty  years? 
(See  A— 1  a'— d.) 

2.  What  are  the  requirements  for  voting? 

3.  What  race  or  nationality  has  the  largest  number  of  voters? 
Do  they  usually  vote  as  a  practical  unit? 

16  See — Reports  of  the  Chicago  Bureau  of  Public  Efficiency. 

How  to  start  a  Survey  of  your  City's  Business  Methods,  by  W.  H.  Allen,  (Director 
of  N.  Y.  Bureau  of  Mun.  Research). 

The  Am.  City,  Vol.  8,  p.  252. 

Plans  and  Methods  in  Municipal  Efficiency,  by  B.  M.  Bastall,  Bulletin  No.  1,  19, 
Milwaukee  Bureau  of  Economy  and  Efficiency. 

Knowing  One's  Own  Community,  by  Carol  Aronivici,  p.   12-13. 

American  Civic  Association — 913-914  Union  Trust  Bldg.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Municipal  Administration  by  D.  O.  Decker,  The  Nrwburgh  Survey,  p.  89. 


COMMUNITY   SURVI  \  49 

4.  Has  there  been  any  change  in  the  last  twenty  wars  in  nation- 
ality having  largest  vote? 

5.  a'.  What  was  the  number  by  nationality,  of  applicants  for 
their  first  naturalization  papers  in  the  last  five  years?  b*.  Number 
refused?  c'.  Number  who  applied  for  their  second  papers  in  the  last  five 
years?  d'.  Number  naturalized  citizens  who  voted  at  the  last  national 
election? 

6.  What  appears  to  be  the  party  choice,  by  nationality?  Is  there 
any  special  reason  for  this? 

7.  What  are  the  chief  political  parties?  What  factions  within 
political  parties?  Relative  strength  of  each  party? 

8.  What  businesses,  social  classes,  moral  or  patriotic,  motives, 
or  specific  interests  are  influential  in  each  party? 

9.  What  other  political  organizations?  Character,  methods,  and 
influence? 

b.  Local  Political  Organization. 

1.  a'.  Frequency  of  local  elections?  b'.  Methods  of  nominating 
and  voting?  c'.  Form  of  ballot? 

2.  a'.  What  is  the  type  of  local  municipal  government?  b'.  Num- 
ber of  elective  officers?  c'.  Are  they  elected  by  wards  or  at  large? 

3.  a'.  Are  there  ward  leaders?  b'.  What  is  their  character,  busi- 
ness, connection  with  public  works,  public  offices,  political  affiliations? 
c'.  What  is  the  result  of  their  efforts? 

4.  a'.  What  is  the  power  of  the  mayor?  b'.  What  are  the  depart- 
ments in  local  government?  Make  chart  showing  lines  of  authorities  in 
local  government. 

5.  Number  of  workingmen  on  council?  a'.  Lawyers?  b'.  Number 
of  officials  representing  special  interests? 

6.  How  do  the  commissioners  receive  their  appointment? 

7.  a'.  Do  the  departments  publish  separate  reports?  b'.  Form 
of  publicity  used  by  departments?  c'.  Who  determines  form? 

c.  Taxes: 

1.  a'.  What  is  the  tax  rate?  b'.  How  is  it  determined?  Legal 
limit? 

2.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  tax  payers  on  real  estate?  b'.  Per- 
sonal property?  c'.  Laws  governing  assessments?  d'.  How  does  assessed 
valuation  compare  with  census  valuation? 

3.  a'.  Total  amount  of  all  revenue  for  the  last  fiscal  year? 
b'.  Total  expenditures? 


50  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

4.  a'.  Must  city  borrow  money  to  pay  current  expenses?  b'.  Has 
it  reached  borrowing  limit? 

5.  a'.  What  is  the  total  indebtedness  of  the  community?  b\ 
What  large  improvements  have  been  made  in  last  five  years  on  borrowed 
money? 

6.  a'.  How  is  city  budget  made  up?  b'.  Is  there  public  discussion 
of  its  items? 

7.  What  is  the  method  of  accounting  in  use? 

8.  a'.  Is  there  a  special  school  tax?  b'.  What  is  it?  c'.  Has  it  been 
increased  in  the  past  ten  years?  d'.  Result? 

9.  What  was  the  total  amount  appropriated  for  schools,  for 
sanitation,  and  health,  for  streets  and  civic  improvements  in  past  year? 
Make  chart  showing  proportional  amount  used  for  the  various  public 
activities. 

10.  a'.  What  taxes  are  paid  by  the  six  highest  tax  payers? 
b'.  Which  of  these  are  corporations? 

11.  a'.  What  municipal  body  has  power  of  appropriating  and 
distributing  funds?  b'.  Are  requests  upon  the  budget  made  openly  and 
published,  or  privately  to  the  appropriating  body? 

d.  Legislative  Restrictions  and  Regulations. 

1.  What  is  the  state  law  governing  the  sale  of  liquor? 

2.  a'.  Is  there  local  license  or  no  license?  b'.  Number  of  saloons? 

3.  Terms  of  granting  and  revoking  license? 

4.  a'.  Is  there  a  "saloon  limit"  for  schools  and  churches?  b'. 
What  are  the  local  regulations?  c'.  Are  they  enforced?  d'.  If  not,  what 
is  the  reason? 

5.  Are  bawdy  houses  permitted  or  tolerated?  (See  F  III  f  7  a* 
b'  c'.) 

6.  a'.  What  legislation  affecting  the  morals  and  health  of  the 
community  at  large  was  passed  by  the  council  in  recent  years?  b'.  What 
provisions  were  made  for  enforcement?  Are  laws  effective? 

7.  a'.  What  are  the  state  or  city  regulations  of  labor,  housing, 
industries,  etc.  b'.  Who  is  responsible  for  their  enforcement?  c'.  Are 
they  properly  enforced? 

8.  If  results  are  still  unsatisfactory,  what  suggestions  have  you 
for  improving  conditions  in  general? 

9.  What  active  voluntary  activities  in  the  interest  of  temperance 
and  morality  are  there? 

e.  Courts. 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  51 

1.  a'.  What  are  the  different  courts  in  your  city?  b'.  Jurisdiction 
of  each? 

2.  a'.  Are  judges  and  magistrates  appointed  or  elected?  b'. 
Time?  c'.  Qualifications? 

3.  What  court  controls  drunkenness,  vagrancy,  disorderly  con- 
duct, non-support? 

4.  What  powers  and  what  options  has  a  judge  in  cases  arraigned 
on  such  charges? 

5.  a'.  Number  of  convictions  in  court  last  year  for  drunkenness, 
vagrancy,  disorderly  conduct,  non-support,  crimes  against  property, 
against  persons?  b'.  Disposition  made  of  them? 

6.  Number  first  offenders? 

7.  a'.  Is  there  adult  probation?  b'.  Indeterminate  sentence? 

8.  How  long  is  prisoner  detained  before  brought  to  court? 

9.  Is  there  proper  separation  of  the  sexes  and  of  first  and  minor 
offenders  at  the  place  of  detention? 

10.  What  was  the  number  of  arrests  and  convictions,  by  nation- 
alities, in  the  last  year? 

f .  Juvenile  Court. 

1.  Are  all  cases  under  sixteen  brought  there? 

2.  Does  it  deal  with  dependents,  truants,  and  child  labor  offen- 
ders? Has  Juvenile  Court  jurisdiction  over  adults  connected  with 
juvenile  offenders? 

3.  a'.  Are  any  cases  of  juvenile  delinquents  transferred  to  the 
regular  court  records?  b'.  If  they  are,  why? 

4.  Is  there  a  separate  detention  home  for  juveniles? 

5.  a'.  Is  the  child's  condition  of  life  investigated  and  made  a 
basis  for  judicial  decisions?  b'.  Are  full  records  kept? 

6.  Is  the  juvenile  court  separate,  or  is  it  connected  with  some 
other  court? 

7.  a'.  Where  and  how  are  cases  heard?  b'.  What  difference  is 
made  from  the  ordinary  method  of  procedure? 

8.  a'.  Are  there  probation  officers?  b'.  Number?  c'.  Are  they 
paid  or  volunteers?  d'.  Are  they  connected  with  some  private  institu- 
tion? 

9.  a'.  Number  of  delinquents  handled  last  year?  b'.  Age,  sex, 
parentage? 

10.  a'.  Number  fined?  b'.  Number  put  on  probation?  c'.  In 
institutions?  d'.  Dismissed? 


52  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

11.  Is  there  a  society  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  children? 

12.  a'.  What  is  its  relation  to  the  court?  b'.  What  constitutes 
cruelty?  c'.  Neglect? 

13.  For  what  reason  does  a  court  sanction  the  removal  of  children 
from  their  parents? 

It  may  not  be  possible  in  all  cases  to  secure  accurate  information  on 
the  various  questions  suggested,  in  fact  it  will  probably  be  found,  espe- 
cially in  smaller  cities,  that  records  are  so  loosely  kept  and  such  unbusi- 
nesslike methods  are  followed  by  the  city  officials,  that  very  little  more 
can  be  done  than  to  reveal  the  absolute  lack  of  efficiency. 

A  study  of  the  court  system  has  been  included  under  the  political 
activities  since  the  administration  of  Municipal  affairs  is  so  closely  related 
to  its  judicial  system.  It  will  be  found  that  much  better  and  more 
accurate  data  may  usually  be  obtained  in  this  department  of  the  local 
government  than  in  any  other. 

II.  Ameliorative,  Reformative  and  Punitive. 

In  every  community  there  are  numerous  organizations  which  have  for 
their  purpose  the  amelioration  of  the  social  ills  of  the  group  in  which  they 
are  located.  While  the  benefits  of  these  various  bodies  cannot  be  over- 
estimated, there  is  often  a  woeful  lack  of  efficiency.  One  of  the  most 
common  reasons  for  lack  of  efficient  work  is  in  their  lack  of  cooperation. 
Likewise,  there  are  many  poorly  organized  societies  which  have  for  their 
aim  the  elimination  of  some  social  ills,  but  do  not  consider  their  relation  to 
other  evils  or  to  the  general  life  of  the  community.  As  a  result  of  this  the 
remedies  advocated  are  frequently  nothing  better  than  make-shifts,  and 
are  applied  to  the  effects,  rather  than  to  the  causes  of  the  evil. 

a.  Child  Care. 

1.  a'.  Number  of  children  from  this  locality  cared  for  last  year 
by  institutional  agencies?  b\  Placing  out  agencies?  c'.    Other  agencies? 

2.  a-'.  What  was  the  cost  to  public  funds?  b'.  To  private  funds? 

3.  a'.  Number  of  children  from  this  locality  admitted  by  insti- 
tutions, public  or  private,  for  feeble-minded,  crippled,  abandoned,  or 
orphaned  children?  b'.  Arc  institutions  adequate  for  local  needs?  c'.  Con- 
ditions for  admission  to  each  institution? 

4.  a'.  What  is  the  cost  of  maintenance?  b'.  Auspices  under  which 
it  is  carried  on,  and  number  of  inmates  of  each? 

5.  a'.  Number  discharged  from  each  in  last  five  years,  who  have 
become  self-supporting?  b'.  Number  who  were  followed  up  after  dis- 
charge? 


COMMUNITY  SURVEY  53 

6.  a'.  Are  children  placed  out  in  families?  1)'.  If  so  how  is  family 

chosen,  and  what  control  is  had  over  the  family  afterward^ 

7.  a'.  What  control  does  the  state  have  over  each  institution? 
b\  Is  there  proper  inspection?  See  also  questions  under  Physiological 
Conditions,  Education,  Juvenile  Courts,  Recreation,  and  Domestic  Activ- 
ities. 

b.  Charities. 

1.  a'.  Is  there  an  organized  charity  association?  b\  Number 
paid  workers?  Have  they  received  special  training?  c'.  Do  they  know 
how  to  make  an  intelligent  investigation  leading  to  constructive  plans  for 
the  betterment  of  families? 

2.  a'.  Are  records  carefully  kept?  How?  b'.  Is  there  a  confiden- 
tial exchange  with  other  agencies?  Number  consulted?  c'.  Is  aid  given 
from  society's  funds,  or  is  outside  help  interested  in  each  case?  d\  To 
what  extent  is  aid  received  from  outside  sources? 

3.  Are  there  any  volunteer  friendly  visitors?  Advisory  commit- 
tees? Other  active  promoters  besides  paid  workers? 

4.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  independent  benevolent  organiza- 
tions? b'.  Under  what  auspices?  c\  Sources  of  income? 

5.  a'.  Do  any  of  them  receive  state  aid?  If  so,  number  receiving 
aid?  Amount  received?  Under  what  conditions?  b'.  Does  the  state  have 
full  control  in  compelling  them  to  live  up  to  state  regulations  for  such 
institutions?  d'.  Is  authority  enforced? 

6.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  paid  workers?  b'.  Volunteers? 

7.  a'.  Is  relief  given  to  certain  classes  only?  b'.  On  what  princi- 
ples is  it  given  or  withheld? 

8.  a'.  Amount  of  money  used  last  year?  b\  Number  relieved? 
c'.  Records  kept?  d'.  Is  there  any  formal  or  informal  exchange  of  infor- 
mation between  these  agencies? 

9.  a'.  Number  of  inmates  in  the  almhouses  last  year?  b'.  What 
was  cost  of  maintenance? 

10.  a'.  Are  there  any  restrictions  concerning  admission  or  re- 
lease? b'.  Is  record  kept  of  repeaters? 

11.  a'.  Are  there  any  feeble-minded  or  insane  inmates?  b'.  Are 
children  admitted?  c'.  Is  there  a  hospital  ward  for  the  chronic  cases? 

12.  Is  there  any  volunteer  visiting  committee? 

13.  Is  there  a  home  for  the  aged? 

14.  a'.  Number  of  inmates?  b'.  Terms  of  admission? 


54  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

15.  Are  efforts  made  to  determine  fundamental  causes  of  poverty 
and  to  prevent  them?  What  seem  to  be  the  chief  causes  of  poverty? 

c.  Outdoor  Relief. 

1.  a'.  Is  there  public  outdoor  relief?  b'.  By  municipality,  county 
or  both? 

2.  a'.  How  is  overseer  appointed  in  each?  b'.  Duties,  salary,  etc. 

3.  a'.  What  is  the  annual  appropriation?  b'.  By  whom  made? 
c\  Basis? 

4.  a'.  Is  home  of  each  applicant  visited?  b\  Are  references  out- 
side of  the  family  regularly  consulted?  What  is  the  standard  of  need  and 
of  relief?    Is  there  a  diet  standard;  a  housing  standard,  etc.? 

5.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  families  and  of  individuals  receiv- 
ing aid  last  year?  b'.  Age?  c'.  Sex?  d'.  Nativity?  e'.  Occupation,  of  the 
head  of  each  family  affected? 

d.  Homeless  men. 

1.  a'.  Is  there  any  adequate  provision  made  for  homeless  men? 
b'.  Are  homeless  men  generally  referred  to  organized  charity  society? 
If  so,  treatment  followed?  c'.  Is  there  a  municipal  home  with  a  proper 
work  test,  or  is  police  station  still  used  as  a  lodging  house? 

2.  Is  there  any  real  attempt  made  to  get  work  for  the  men? 
b\  Is  there  a  farm  colony?  c'.  Conditions  prevailing  there?  d'.  Does  it 
tend  to  reform  its  inmates?  e'.  Does  it  lessen  vagrancy? 

e.  Defectives. 

1.  a'.  Is  admission  to  proper  institutions  secured  for  deaf,  blind, 
epileptic,  feeble-minded,  and  insane  individuals?  b'.  Are  there  institu- 
tions for  the  care  of  any  of  these  classes  in  community?  c'.  Is  there  pro- 
vision for  the  accommodation  of  all  needing  care? 

2.  Is  there  any  special  treatment  for  inebriates? 

3.  a'.  Do  individuals  in  the  incipient  stages  of  mental  or  nervous 
diseases  receive  expert  clinical  treatment?  b'.  Is  there  any  agency 
which  takes  over  the  after  care  of  patients  discharged  from  insane  hospi- 
tals? c'.  What  efforts  are  made  to  make  insane  partly  self-supporting? 

4.  a'.  Number  of  hospitals?  b'.  Number  free  beds?  c'.  Classes 
of  cases  admitted?  d'.  Sources  of  support?  e'.  Amount  of  state,  county, 
or  city  subsidy  or  subscription? 

5.  Is  there  a  convalescent  home? 

6.  a'.  Diseases  treated  in  dispensaries?  b'.  Number  of  each 
kind? 

7.  Is  there  a  system  of  visiting  nurses? 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  55 

8.  a'.  What  provisions  are  made  for  prevention  of  tuberculosis? 
b'.  For  incipient?  c'.  Convalescents?  d'.  Incurables? 

9.  Are  there  any  fresh-air  schools  or  dav  camps? 

10.  Are  there  any  diseases  for  which  no  provisions  are  made? 
f .  Other  Welfare  Agencies. 

1.  a'.  Give  number,  and  name  of  fraternal  orders  in  community? 
b'.  What  charitable  work  is  done  by  them  outside  of  their  own 
membership? 

2.  a'.  Women's  clubs?  b'.  Number?  c'.  Object?  d\  Member- 
ship? e'.  Committees  on  social  work? 

3.  a'.  Businessmen's  clubs?  b'.  Do  they  cooperate  for  improve- 
ment in  housing  conditions,  police,  sanitation,  etc.? 

4.  Ministerial  association?  Does  it  take  active  part  in  improve- 
ment of  civic  conditions? 

5.  In  as  far  as  any  of  the  following  concern  themselves  with  wel- 
fare work  (aside  from  education,  recreation,  industry,  and  religion, 
already  mentioned),  give  details  of  each:  a'.  Settlements;  b'.  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
c'.  Y.  W.  C.  A.;  d'.  Trade  unions;  e'.  Labor  unions;  f.  employer'.- 
union;     g'.  Boys  and  girls  clubs,  etc.;  h'.  Churches. 

6.  Is  there  any  institution  which  gets  in  touch  with  the  prisoner 
before  and  after  his  release? 

7.  a'.  Give  number  of  industrial  establishments  maintaining  a 
lunch  room,  baths,  a  meeting  room,  club  room,  playground,  settlement 
houses,  social  secretary  for  girls  or  other  welfare  agency?  b'.  Character 
of  each  of  these? 

8.  a'.  Is  there  a  pension  fund  connected  with  any?  b'.  What 
are  the  conditions?  c'.  Is  free  medical  aid  given? 

9.  What  is  the  amount  paid  victims  of  accidents  by  manufac- 
turers, insurance  societies,  charity  organizations,  lodges,  mutual  aids, 
etc.,  in  the  last  two  years? 

10.  What  movements  for  public  betterment  and  social  service 
are  needed  in  the  community? 

Crime  and  Its  Treatment. 
The  subject  of  crime  and  its  treatment  has  received  much  scientific 
study  during  the  past  two  decades.  While  crime  has  always  been  looked 
upon  as  an  abnormal  condition  of  society,  as  anti-social,  the  offender  of 
social  rules  and  regulations  is  no  longer  looked  upon  as  being  inherently 
vicious,  but  rather  as  a  victim  of  causes,  such  as  heredity,  environment 
and  ignorance,  which  united  in  causing  crime.    This  new  attitude  toward 


56  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

crime  has  brought  about  a  change  in  the  manner  of  dealing  with  offen- 
ders. The  first  method  of  dealing  with  offenders  was  retribution,  or 
vengeance,  but  with  the  growth  of  civilization  the  attitude  became  one 
of  deterrence  or  repression.  The  present  attitude  tends  toward  reforma- 
tion and  prevention.  This  change  in  the  type  of  punishment  has  been 
greatly  influenced  by  :  1.  The  great  industrial  development,  which  has 
caused  a  greater  interdependence  and  consequently  a  better  under- 
standing of  people  living  in  different  planes  of  society;  2.  Republican 
ideas  of  liberty  as  given  by  Montesquieu,  Rousseau  and  Locke;  3.  New 
notions  of  the  cause  of  crime  were  developed;  4.  Change  in  the  attitude  of 
religion  toward  crime;  5.  A  new  classification  of  society  opening  the  way 
for  an  equity  of  administering  the  law. 

Sources  of  data:  1.  Examination  of  the  original  records  of  convictions 
for  juvenile,  police,  county  and  supreme  courts;  2.  Inquiry  from  judges, 
court,  probation  and  police  officers;  3.  Examination  of  evidence  as  to 
truancy  (see  Education);  4.  Personal  investigation  for  verification  of 
records  concerning  licensed  saloons;  and,  5.  Make  map  of  district  show- 
ing distribution  of  offenders,  juvenile  and  adult,  and  location  of  saloons, 
and  other  public  commercialized  places  of  recreation.16 
a.  Juvenile  Delinquency  (See  Juvenile  Courts). 

1.  a'.  Offences  for  which  juveniles  were  charged  during  past 
year?  Number  of  each?  b'.  Give  locality  and  surroundings  where  juvenile 
delinquencies  are  most  prevalent? 

2.  a'.  What  per  cent  of  delinquents  are  first  offenders?  b\  Re- 
peaters? c'.  Boys?  d'.  Girls?  e'.  Number  at  each  age? 

3.  a'.  Does  there  seem  to  be  any  relation  between  juvenile 
delinquency  and  lack  of  playgrounds  or  other  adequate  means  of  recrea- 
tion?  b'.  Lack  of  proper   supervision  of   schools,   playgrounds,   etc.? 

18  Is  Crime  Increasing? 

See  Criminal  Statistics  of  the  United  States,  Robinson; 

"Investigation  and  Crime,"  Hounvich,  Am.  Jour.  Soc.  1912; 

The  Criminal,  Havelock  Ellis,  p.  369;  Crime    and    Social    Progress,    Hall,    Ch.  I; 

Responsibility  for  Crime,  Parsons. 

Classification  of  Criminals: 

See  Criminal  Man,  Lombroso;  The  Criminal,  Ellis,  Ch.  I;  Dependents,  Defectives 
and  Delinquents,  Henderson,  C.  R.,  p.  219.  See  also,  Punishment  and  Reformation, 
by  F.  H.  Wines;  Anthropology  and  Sociology  in  Relation  to  Criminal  Procedure,  by  M. 
Parmalee;  Correction  and  Pretention,  edited  by  C.  R.  Henderson;  The  Young  Male- 
factor by  Travis;  Garofolo,  Criminology;  Tarde,  Penal  Philosophy;  Making  the  Criminal 
by  Russel  and  Rigby.  For  reports  of  investigations  see  surveys  mentioned  in  classi- 
fication above. 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  57 

c\  Congestion?  d'.  What  is  their  physical  condition  (of  juvenile  offen- 
ders)? Their  mental  condition? 

4.  a'.  What  per  cent  have  both  parents  living?  b'.  Per  cent 
having  mother  only?  c'.  Per  cent  having  father  only?  d\  Per  cent  having 
neither?  e'.  Per  cent  illegitimate?  f.  Per  cent  parents  divorced? 

5.  What  are  the  general  conditions  of  their  homes? 

6.  a'.  Number  who  have  regular  employment?  b\  Skilled? 
c\  Unskilled? 

7.  a'.  Are  children  employed  in  the  street  trades?  b'.  Character 
of  the  trades?  c'.  Number  employed  in  each,  by  sex,  age,  and  nationality? 
d\  What  legal  restrictions  are  there?  e'.  Are  they  enforced? 

8.  Are  children  allowed  to  work  at  night  in  factories  or  street 
trades? 

9.  a'.  Are  children  under  fifteen  allowed  to  work  with  adults  of 
opposite  sex?  b'.  What  supervision  is  there  of  such  places? 

10.  a'.  Is  the  sale  of  liquor  and  tobacco  to  minors  under  police 
control?  b'.  Is  it  enforced? 

11.  a'.  Is  obscene  literature  circulated?  b'.  Where  obtained? 
c'.  Do  police  attempt  to  control  such  sale? 

12.  a'.  What  is  needed  to  improve  conditions?  b'.  What  efforts 
are  being  made? 

b.  Adult  Crime. 

1.  a'.  Crimes  and  misdemeanors  for  which  persons  were  convicted? 
Annual  number  convicted  for  each  class?  b'.  Age?  c'.  Sex?  d'.  Parentage? 

2.  Number  of  convictions  for  each  1,000  population? 

3.  a'.  Number  and  condition  of  Municipal,  Police,  or  City  lock- 
ups? b'.  Number  of  inmates?  Condition  of  cells?  Ventilation?  I>  there 
over-crowding?  Is  medical  attention  given?  Is  work  provided  for  prison- 
ers? 

4.  Number  of  inmates  in  county  jail?  What  attention  is  given  the 
care  of  convicted  persons?  Are  convicted  and  unconvicted  persons  kept 
together?  What  is  the  condition  of  cells?  What  kind  of  work  is  done  by 
prisoners?  Are  there  any  classes,  or  is  instruction  of  any  kind  given? 

5.  a'.  Is  there  a  state  prison  or  reformatory  in  the  community.'' 
b'.  What  influence  has  it  on  community? 

6.  a'.  Are  parole  and  indeterminate  sentence  in  use?  b\  Under 
what  conditions  applied?  c'.  Are  there  probation  officers?  d'.  Number? 


58  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

e'.  Time  devoted  to  work?  f.  Number  probationers  cared  for  by  each? 
g'.  Do  drunks  and  prostitutes  and  diseased  persons  receive  the  special 
care  they  need  when  in  jail? 

7.  Are  there  fines  or  jail  sentences  for  prostitutes?  For  keepers 
of  disorderly  resorts?  Number  of  each  convicted? 

8.  a'.  Are  professional  bondsmen  allowed  to  operate  in  court? 
b'.  What  are  their  methods? 

State  Institutions.  1 .  a'.  Are  prisoners  taught  a  trade  while  confined? 
b\  Is  it  one  which  will  be  of  service  when  they  are  released? 

2.  a'.  Is  contract  or  lease  system  used?  State  use?  Piece  price? 
b\  What  goods  are  manufactured?  c'.  What  pay  is  received  for  each 
prisoner? 

3.  a'.  Is  the  institution  self-supporting,  if  not,  cost  to  com- 
munity? b'.  What  amount  is  received  from  the  contractors? 

4.  a'.  Do  the  prisoners  receive  a  share  in  the  profits?  b'.  How 
much?  c'.  If  not,  how  much  money  are  they  given  on  their  release? 

5.  Is  any  effort  made  to  secure  employment  for  discharged 
prisoners? 

6.  Do  dependent  families  of  prisoner  receive  state  aid  while 
prisoner  is  in  confinement? 

7.  What  is  the  total  cost  for  the  maintenance  of  police,  courts, 
and  prisoners,  as  well  as  the  loss  through  the  crimes  committed.    ' 

8.  Is  that  expense  equaled  by  amount  expended  in  creating 
conditions  which  will  lessen  crime? 

III.  Recreation  and  Amusements. 

A  recreation  survey  must  take  in  consideration  not  merely  the  exis- 
ting forms  and  opportunities,  but  like  a  survey  of  every  other  form  of 
activity,  it  should  seek  out  the  possibilities  and  resources  offered  which 
are  now  neglected.  In  many  cities  the  problem  of  recreation  was  hardly 
considered  until  quite  recently.  As  a  result,  the  city  has  grown  up  in  a 
compact  mass  with  no  provision  for  playgrounds.  Parks  may  be  pro- 
vided, but  often  these  are  at  such  a  great  distance  from  the  most  thickly 
populated  sections  of  the  city,  that  it  is  possible  for  only  a  small  propor- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  to  patronize  them.  Even  in  some  small  cities 
many  schools  are  without  playgrounds,  and  where  they  are  provided  for 
they  are  without  any  equipment  or  supervision.  In  addition  to  the 
outdoor  recreation  places,  both  free  and  commercialized,  are  the  indoor 
amusements.     The  dangers  attending  some  of  these  are  far  greater  than 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  59 

those  attending  outdoor  amusements  and  the  need  of  supervision  is 
correspondingly  greater.17 

a.  General  Situation. 

1.  a'.  What  are  the  principal  recreations  thai  engage  the  leisure 

of  the  population  of  your  community?  b'.  Which  of  these  are  commer- 
cialized? c'.  Wrhat  agencies  are  there  which  provide  recreation  for  young 
people  without  profits?  d\  For  workingmen?  e'.  For  working  women? 
V.  What  is  cost  of  such  recreations  and  amusements?  g'.  How  arc  neces- 
sary funds  secured?  h'.  Are  these  advantages  made  use  of  by  the  majority 
of  those  for  whom  they  are  intended? 

b.  Playgrounds. 

1.  a'.  What  regular  playgrounds  are  there?  b'.  Area?c'.  Amount 
of  supervision?  d\  By  whom  maintained?  e'.  Estimated  number  usin^ 
them? 

2.  a'.  Extent  that  unimproved  lots  serve  as  playgrounds? 
b'.  What  use  is  made  of  the  streets  for  playing  ball,  roller  skating, 
coasting,  etc.?  c'.  Attitude  of  the  police  regarding  use  of  streets?  d'.  Are 
streets  used  by  children  dangerous?  e'.  What  per  cent  of  people  have 
no  other  place  for  recreation,  than  streets  in  vicinity  of  homes? 

3.  a'.  Are  schools  provided  with  playgrounds?  b'.  Can  they  be 
used  in  summer  and  after  school  hours?  c'.  Are  they  supervised?  d\ 
Are  games  part  of  the  work  of  public  schools?  e'.  Have  moving  pictures, 
dramatic  performances,  etc.,  been  introduced  into  the  public  schools? 

4.  a'.  What  free  park  facilities  are  provided  by  public  or  private 
agencies,  or  both?  b'.  Cost  of  maintenance?  c\  Amount  of  supervision? 

17  For  information  concerning  the  study  of  recreation,  see: 

"Reports  of  Committee  on  Amusement  Resources  of  Working  Girls,"  119  B. 
19th  Street,  New  York  City. 

"Playground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America,"  1  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

"International  Committee  of  Y.  M.  C.  A."  124  E.  28th  Street,  New  York  City. 

"National  Committee  of  Y.  W.  C.  A.,"  125  E.  27th  Street,  New  York  City. 

Recreation  Survey  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.     1912. 

Knowing  One's  Community,  Carol  Aronovici. 

What  Social  Workers  Should  Know,  Miss  Byington. 

The  Newburgh  Survey,  Russell  Sage  Foundation  ("Recreation  Opportunities." 
by  J.  L.Potter). 

Community  Study,  by  Warren  H.  Wilson. 

"The  Playground  Survey"  by  Henry  S.  Curtis,  American  Jour.  Soc.  May,  1914. 

"The  Sociology  of  Recreation"  by  J.  L.  Gillin,  Am.  Jour.  Soc.  May,  I'M  } 

Playgrounds  and  Recreation  Centers,  R.  E.  Rainwater,  University  of  Chicago  Press, 
1914. 


60  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN  COMMUNITIES 

Equipment?  d'.  Are  they  located  where  needed?  e'.  Fare  from  congested 
districts,  f.  What  is  the  general  moral  standing  of  the  various  parks? 
g\  Are  there  free  concerts  held  in  parks,  playgrounds,  and  schools? 
h\  What  is  average  number  of  children  using  parks?  i'.  Average  atten- 
dance of  persons  using  the  parks  at  the  various  seasons  of  year? 

5.  a'.  What  commercial  amusements  are  there?  b'.  Where 
located?  Price  of  admission?  c'.  Do  they  have  a  desirable  influence  on 
patrons?  d'.  Do  they  have  beer  gardens  and  dance  halls  connected  with 
them? 

c.  Athletics. 

1.  a'.  What  athletic  fields  are  there  in  the  community?  Games 
played?  b'.  Public  or  private?  c'.  Nature,  extent?  d'.  How  controlled? 
e'.  What  proportion  of  the  people  may  use  them?  V.  Are  the  fields  used 
by  the  public  open  every  day  in  the  week?  g'.  If  not,  what  is  the  reason? 

2.  What  are  the  gymnasium  facilities  in  the  community?  a'.  Free 
to  public,  location,  class  using  them?  b'.  Open  to  public  for  fee,  location, 
amount  of  fee?  c'.  Open  to  members  only,  class  admitted  to  membership, 
dues? 

3.  a'.  Give  number  and  type  of  pool  and  billiard  halls,  bowling 
alleys,  skating  rinks,  etc.,  in  the  community?  b'.  Under  what  auspices 
are  they  run? 

4.  Is  intoxicating  liquor  sold  in  connection  with  any  of  these 
places? 

5.  By  what  element  of  the  population  is  each  one  patronized? 

d.  Dance  Halls  and  Theaters. 

1.  a'.  Give  number  of  dance  halls  in  community,  b'.  By  whom 
controlled?  c'.  Are  they  run  under  police  supervision?  d\  Is  liquor  sold 
in  connection  with  any  of  them?  e'  General  moral  standing? 

2.  a'.  Do  any  clubs,  organizations,  etc.,  give  dances  which  are 
open  to  the  public  at  stated  intervals?  b'.  What  is  the  character  of  these? 
c\  Class  of  the  population  which  patronizes  them? 

3.  a'.  Give  number  of  theaters:  a'.  Where  regular  drama  is 
played?  b'.  Vaudeville  houses?  c'.  Burlesque  houses?  d'.  Moving  pic- 
ture shows? 

4.  a'.  What  is  the  capacity  of  each?  b'.  Average  weekly  atten- 
dance of  each?  c'.  Class  of  patrons  received  by  each?  d'.  Most  popular 
type  of  entertainment  offered,  and  the  moral  influence  of  each  of  the 
above?  e\  What  remedies  would  you  offer  any  or  each  of  them? 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  61 

5.  a'.  What  are  the  state  laws  and  city  ordinances  governing 
play  houses  and  dance  halls?  b\  Who  is  responsible  for  their  enforce- 
ment? c'.  Are  they  properly  enforced? 

e.  Entertainments  and  Clubs. 

1.  a'.  Are  there  any  public  lecture  courses  given?  b'.  By  what 
organizations?  c'.  Character?  d'.  How  attended? 

2.  a'.  Are  there  any  regular  public  concerts  given  in  the  com- 
munity? b\  Under  whose  auspices?  c'.  What  type  of  concert  is  most 
patronized?  d'.  Does  music  play  an  important  part  as  means  of  recrea- 
tion in  the  community?  e\  Are  there  any  local  musical  organizations? 
Type  of  work  done?  Membership? 

3.  a'.  Are  there  any  local  dramatic  clubs?  b'.  What  kinds  of 
productions  are  selected  most  frequently  for  public  entertainments? 
c\  Membership  of  such  clubs? 

4.  a'.  Are  there  any  boys  and  girls  clubs?  b'.  In  connection  with 
Settlements?  With  Libraries?  With  Institutional  Churches?  Number? 
Membership?  Average  attendance  of  each?  c\  Is  the  object  of  the  vari- 
ous clubs  anything  besides  being  purely  recreational  and  entertaining? 
d'.  Under  what  auspices  is  club  carried  on?  e'.  Requirements  for  admis- 
sion? 

5.  What  clubs  are  for  young  men  and  young  women?  b'.  Num- 
ber? c'.  Membership?  d'.  Character  of  club?  e'.  Is  membership  drawn 
from  any  special  class? 

6.  What  seems  to  be  the  most  popular  recreation  of  the  various 
clubs? 

7.  What  is  most  popular  recreation  of  young  people  of  com- 
munity? 

8.  What  particular  amusements  and  entertainments  are  approved 
and  which  condemned  by  the  churches?  How  do  the  denominational 
standards  differ? 

f.  Saloons. 

1.  a'.  Is  community  license  or  no  license  territory?  I)'.  If  li 
ratio  of  number  of  saloons  to  population?  c'.  Method  of  obtaining  license? 

2.  Are    saloons     located     in    resident,    tenement,    or    factory 

districts? 

3.  a'.  Are  rooms  rented  in  connection  with  saloons?  b'.  Arc 
women  or  children  allowed  to  enter  saloons  without  restrictions? 

4.  a'.  To  what  other  regulations  are  saloons  subjected?  b'.  How 
and  by  whom  are  regulations  concerning  saloons  enforced? 


62  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

5.  What  is  the  attitude  of  the  various  denominations  to  the 
saloon  and  to  drinking  customs? 

6.  a'.  Are  the  meeting  places  of  labor  unions,  fraternal  orders, 
other  societies,  connected  with  saloons?  b'.  Have  they  a  ladies'  parlor? 
c'.  Is  there  evidence  of  gambling?  d'.  By  what  class  are  saloons  chiefly 
patronized? 

7.  a'.  Are  houses  of  prostitution  allowed  or  tolerated?  (F  I  d  5) 
b'.  Segregated?  c\  Is  solicitation  on  the  streets  tolerated  by  the  police? 

g.  Day  of  Rest. 

1.  a'.  What  forms  of  business  are  conducted  on  Sunday?  b'.  Any 
unnecessary?  c'.  Number  of  persons  employed? 

2.  a'.  What  commercialized  recreation  on  Sunday?  b'.  Is  there 
any  effort  to  close  places  of  recreation?  Why? 

h.  Summary. 

1.  What  is  the  total  amount  paid  out  by  the  city  for  recreation, 
as  compared  with  the  amount  paid  for  fire  protection,  courts,  and  police? 

2.  What  proposals  have  you  for  the  improvement  of  recreation 
facilities  in  your  community? 

G.  Education. 

Education  is  the  one  activity  which  is  universally  recognized  as  the 
most  powerful  agent  in  molding  the  character  of  the  community.  There 
is  perhaps  more  interest  taken  in  this  phase  of  the  social  survey  than  in 
any  other  single  subject,  since  there  is  no  other  agency  in  the  community 
which  is  of  such  general  concern,  and  which  touches  so  many  people  in 
such  a  direct  and  effective  manner. 

Under  the  general  head  "Education"  we  have  included,  public 
schools,  private  schools,  libraries,  music  and  art,  the  press  and  higher 
education. 

I.  Public  Schools. 

In  making  a  study  of  the  public  schools  of  a  community,  general 
factors  to  be  considered  are: 

a.  Scope,  dealing  with  the  educational  needs  of  the  community  from 
the  point  of  view  of  the  number  of  people  trained,  the  extent  to  which  it 
meets  the  needs  of  the  community  and  the  enforcement  of  the  require- 
ments of  compulsory  education. 

b.  Administration,  dealing  with  the  character  and  organization  of  the 
administrative  body,  expense  of  maintenance,  budget  making  and 
accounting  system  used,  and  general  policy  of  the  Board. 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  63 

c.  Efficiency,  dealing  with  the  type  of  work  done  by  the  schools,  tin- 
facilities  for  handling  the  number  attending,  medical  inspection,  vacation 
and  evening  schools,  industrial  and  vocational  training  and  general 
efficiency  of  the  teaching  force. 

In  order  to  make  a  really  efficient  educational  survey,  the  services 
of  a  person  familiar  with  school  room  administration  is  necessary.  Much 
of  the  data  will  be  secured  by: 

1.  A  study  of  the  State  school  laws. 

2.  Examination  of  the  character  and  organization  of  the  local 
administrative  body. 

3.  Special  detailed  reports  of  the  School  census. 

4.  Personal  visits  to  the  public  schools,  inspection  of  their 
records,  and  questioning  of  teachers  and  pupils. 

5.  Reports  from  State  Inspector. 

6.  Truant  officer,  and  general  inquiry. 

Reports  of  similar  studies  may  be  obtained  from  the  Department  of 
Surveys  and  Exhibits,  and  the  Division  of  Education  of  the  Russell  Sage 
Foundation,  130  E.  Twenty-second  Street,  New  York. 

a.  Scope. 

1.  a'.  What  is  the  total  number  of  persons  of  school  age  in 
community?  b'.  Total  number  in  school? 

2.  a'.  Number  of  children  of  school  age  who  are  out  of  school 
and  at  work?  b'.  At  what  are  they  chiefly  employed?  (E  II  c)  c'.  Num- 
ber in  school  employed  outside  of  school  hours? 

3.  Total  number  of  illiterates  in  the  community,  by  age,  sex, 
and  nationality? 

4.  Number  of  foreign  born  who  can  neither  write  nor  read  the 
English  Language? 

5.  a'.  What  number  of  children  leave  school  before  they  finish 
the  fifth,  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  grades  of  school?  b'.  Per  cent  that 
finish  the  first,  second,  third,  and  fourth  year  of  high  school. 

6.  What  are  the  state  laws  governing  school  attendance? 

7.  a'.  Is  there  a  truancy  department?  b'.  How  is  it  maintained? 
c'.  Methods  of  work?  d'.  Has  it  legal  backing?  e'.  Number  of  officers? 

8.  Do  officers  receive  daily  reports  from  the  schools? 

9.  Is  a  card  index  of  all  children  of  school  age  kept  in  order  to 
trace  any  who  are  missing  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year? 

10.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  cases  investigated  last  year? 
b\  Number  taken  to  court?   c\  Number  sent  to  truant  school? 


64  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

11.  a'.  What  disposition  is  made  of  habitual  truants?  b'.  Are 
parents  ever  fined  for  permitting  truancy? 

12.  Does  officer  visit  and  has  he  power  to  take  into  court  pupils 
who  are  truant  from  the  parochial  schools? 

b.  Administration. 

1.  a'.  Are  members  of  the  school  committee  appointed  or  elected 
at  large  by  subdivisions?  Number?  b'.  Salary?  c'.  Term? 

2.  a'.  What  active  committees  and  what  sub-committees?  b\ 
What  have  they  accomplished? 

3.  a'.  What  is  the  total  expense  of  public  education?  b'.  Whence 
is  money  derived? 

4.  In  what  proportion  is  the  money  divided  between  teachers 
salaries,  school  maintenance,  repairs,  and  construction? 

5.  Is  accounting  up-to-date  and  efficient? 

6.  a'.  Are  books  furnished  free  to  pupils?  b'.  What  system  of 
buying  and  distributing  books  in  use? 

c.  Efficiency. 

1.  a'.  What  is  the  capacity  of  the  different  grades?  b'.  Number 
of  children  in  each? 

2.  a'.  Is  overcrowding  common?  b'.  What  is  the  average  number 
of  pupils  per  teacher?  c'.  Are  any  ever  rejected  or  unclassified  for  lack 
of  room? 

3.  a'.  Special  provisions  for  cripples,  feeble-minded,  backward 
and  weakly  children?  b'.  What  is  the  method  of  committment? 

4.  Are  there  special  classes  for  foreign  children? 

5.  a'.  Is  there  medical  and  dental  inspection  of  the  schools? 
b\  How  often  are  physical  tests  made?  c'.  Frequency  of  eye  and  ear 
tests?  (D  III)  d'.  Is  there  moral  instruction  and  supervision  of  play- 
grounds? 

6.  a'.  What  is  number  of  school  nurses?  b'.  Number  of  school 
visitors? 

7.  a'.  Number  of  pupils  who  repeated  their  grade  last  year? 
b'.  What,  in  opinion  of  superintendent,  is  the  cause?  c'.  What  was  the 
per  cent  of  increase  of  cost,  due  to  repeaters? 

8.  a'.  Are  there  vacation  schools?  b'.  Evening  schools?  c'.  How 
long  open  each  year?  d\  Subjects  taught?  e\  How  advertised?  f.  Are 
they  used  by  foreigners? 

9.  a'.  Number  of  kindergartens  in  the  public  schools?  b'.  Num- 
ber private  kindergartens?  c'.  Are  kindergartens  maintained  in  the 
poorer  districts? 


COMMUNITY   scrvi  V  65 

10.  a'.  Are  manual  training  and  domestii  taught?  b'    In 

what  grades?  c\  Subjects?  d'.  Are  these  subjects  pari   of  the  school 
curriculum  or  optional? 

11.  a'.  What  trades  are  taught?  b'.  Length  of  courses? 

12.  a'.  What  industrial  or  private  schools  are  maintained  in  the 
community  by  either  public  or  private  organizations:j  b\  Capacity? 
c'.  Work  done?  d'.  Efficiency?  e'.  Cost  of  maintenance?  i".  Source  of 
income,  etc.? 

13.  a'.  Number  of  graduates  who  have  gone  into  local  indus- 
tries in  the  last  ten  years?  b'.  Is  there  any  effort  to  adjust  local  school  to 
local  needs? 

14.  a'.  What  are  the  requirements  for  teachers'  certificate-  in 
each  grade?  b'.  Salary? 

15.  a'.  Are  school  reports  issued  regularly,  and  do  they  deal  with 
distribution  of  expenditures,  appointments  and  change  of  teachers? 
b'.  Do  they  deal  with  truancy,  school  population,  number  of  pupils 
dropped  from  rolls,  repeaters,  and  absences,  with  comprehensive  evi- 
dence of  the  needs  of  the  school? 

16.  Are  there  facilities  and  rules  for  reporting  classroom  condi- 
tions? 

II.  Private  Schools. 

The  investigation  of  the  private  schools  consists  in  a  study  of  those 
schools  which  do  work  parallel  to  that  done  by  the  public  schools,  in 
regard  to  efficiency  as  compared  with  the  public  schools,  and  the 
extent  of  the  field  covered.  While  the  investigation  of  the  work  of 
the  other  private  schools  as  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  institutional  churches,  settle- 
ment houses,  etc.,  will  consist  principally  in  the  scope  of  their  activity. 

1.  a'.  Are  there  any  parochial  schools  in  the  community?  1>'. 
Number?  c'.  How  maintained?  d\  Capacity?  e'  Number  of  pupils? 
f\  Of  teachers? 

2.  a'.  Is  the  work  done  the  same  as  that  covered  by  public 
schools?  b'.  Does  the  public  school  inspector  have  jurisdiction  over 
them?  c'.  Is  the  work  of  as  good  quality  as  that  done  by  the  public 
schools?  d\  Are  foreign  languages  spoken? 

3.  Have  the  teachers  qualifications  equal  to  those  of  public 
school  teachers? 

4.  a'.  What  other  private  schools  are  there?  b\  Give  details 
concerning  them? 


66  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

5.  a'.  What  is  the  number  and  type  of  educational  classes  in 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.?  b\  What  is  the  attendance?  c\  Subjects 
taught?  d'.  Class  fees?  e'.  Are  the  classes  limited  in  numbers?  f.  What 
groups  usually  join? 

6.  Are  there  any  special  funds  provided  by  any  of  the  industries 
for  the  betterment  of  the  community  at  large? 

7.  a'.  What  organizations  are  maintaining  a  lecture  course? 
Nature?  b'.  How  well  is  it  attended? 

8.  a'.  Are  there  any  social  settlements  in  the  community?  b\ 
Nature  of  their  work?  c'.  How  maintained?  d'.  Are  they  located  where 
needed?  e'.  What  are  their  chief  educational  facilities? 

9.  a'.  Are  churches  doing  education  work  outside  of  parochial 
schools?  b'.  If  so,  under  what  conditions? 

III.  Libraries. 

1.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  libraries  in  the  community? 
b\  Number  of  books?  c'.  Of  readers  last  year?  d'.  Hours  of  service? 

2.  a'.  Are  poorer  districts  provided  with  library  facilities? 
b'.  How  far  from  most  distant  point  to  a  public  library? 

3.  a'.  Conditions  under  which  books  are  loaned?  b'.  What  is 
method  of  distributing  books  to  settlements,  schools,  etc.? 

4.  Are  there  private  collections  at  the  disposal  of  the  public? 
Number,  kind,  etc.? 

5.  Are  books  on  special  subjects,  notably  those  pertaining  to 
local  industries,  kept  on  reserve  for  workers  and  students? 

6.  Are  notices  of  new  books  and  other  library  facilities  published 
regularly? 

7.  Have  libraries  juvenile  departments?  Story  hours? 

8.  a'.  Are  exhibits  held  and  public  lectures  given  in  the  library? 
b\  Do  librarians  actively  aid  readers  in  securing  information? 

IV.  Fine  Arts. 

While  music  and  art  have  a  more  or  less  indirect  educational  influence 
upon  a  community,  the  effect  of  these  factors  are  none  the  less  evident. 
The  music  that  finds  its  way  into  the  best  homes  is  often  times  positively 
degrading,  not  so  much  in  its  direct  influence  as  in  the  fact  that  it  tends 
to  weaken  the  finer  sensibilities.  In  spite  of  all  encouragements,  the 
degradation  of  musical  taste  among  large  sections  of  people,  indeed  among 
a  vast  majority,  is  a  cause  for  serious  concern,  and  any  movement  or 
influence  which  tends  to  work  in  the  upward  direction  deserves  all  the 
recognition  and  support  it  is  possible  to  give. 


COMMUNITY   STJRY1.Y  67 

1.  What  advantages  has  community  in  lines  of  art  and  music? 

2.  a'.  Are  there  any  clubs  or  organizations  devoted  to  music  or 
art?  b'.  Number,  membership,  requirements  for  admission,  work  carried 
on? 

3.  a'.  Are  there  any  schools  of  music  and  of  art?  b\  ( rive  details? 
c'.  Character  and  amount  of  music  and  art  taught  in  the  public  schools? 

4.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  private  teachers?  b'.  Approximate 
number  of  persons  studying? 

5.  a'.  Are  any  regular  concerts  given?  b'.Typeof  music  furnished? 

6.  Are  efforts  put  forth  by  any  organization  to  educate  the 
public  to  an  appreciation  for  the  best  in  music  and  art? 

7.  Are  there  any  museums  or  art  exhibitions?  b'.  Give  details? 

V.  The  Press. 

1.  a'.  What  is  the  number  of  local  newspapers?  b'.  Arc  there  any 
printed  in  a  foreign  language?  c\  What  language?  Circulation  of  each? 

2.  a'.  Are  the  newspapers  in  sympathy  with  civic  improvement? 
What  paper  takes  the  lead  in  reform  movements?  How  are  its  efforts 
received?  b'.  Are  they  controlled  by  any  special  interests,  or  arc  they 
entirely  independent? 

3.  What  magazines  are  most  read? 

VI.  Higher  Education. 

1.  a'.  Is  there  any  college,  normal  school,  or  university  in  the 
community?  b'.  If  there  is,  under  what  auspices?  c'  Give  capacity,  cost 
of  maintenance,  number  enrolled,  character  of  work  done,  general 
effect  upon  community. 

E.  Religious  Activities. 
While  the  efforts  of  the  churches  and  various  other  religious  societies 
have  always  been  directed  primarily  toward  the  social  and  moral  better- 
ment of  society,  the  work  of  the  church  in  regard  to  definite  community 
welfare  work  has  usually  been  a  spasmodic  or  temporary  uprising  to 
fight  some  definite  evil.  Consequently  there  has  always  been  a  lack  of 
concerted  action  on  the  part  of  the  churches.  If  a  definite  policy  is  once 
arrived  at  the  difficulty  arising  from  lack  of  cooperation  will  be  lar. 
overcome.18 

18  See  "Sociological  and  Religious  Survey  of  Seventy  American  Cities"  the  Presby- 
terian Board,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  N.  Y.  1912. 

"Digest  of  Social  and  Religious  Survey  of  Bristol,"  Public  Library,  Bristol, 
Conn.   1912. 

Community  Study  by  Warren  H.  Wilson. 

Survey  for  Rural  Communities.  George  F.  Wells. 


68  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN  COMMUNITIES 

1.  What  is  the  number  of  churches  in  your  community? 

2.  a'.  What  denominations,  creeds,  or  sects,  do  they  represent? 
b'.  Any  other  organizations  in  community,  which  supplement  the  church 
but  which  are  not  connected  therewith? 

3.  a'.  What   organizations  in   the   community   are   competing 
with  the  church?  b'.  What  is  the  ethical  influence  of  these  bodies?  c\ 
Could  churches  cooperate  with  them,  or  are  they  opposed  to  the  funda- 
mental principles  for  which  the  church  stands? 

4.  Are  there  separate  churches  serving  particular  nationalities? 

5.  a'.  Arc  churches  united  on  all  civic  questions?  b'.  If  not,  on 
what  do  they  agree  and  disagree?  c'.  Why?  d\  Which  are  active  with 
regard  to  civic  improvement? 

6.  a'.  Is  there  favor  in  the  community  toward  church  federation? 
b'.  What  could  be  done  in  the  community  with  united  churches  that 
could  not  be  done  now?  c\  Why  is  it  impracticable  now? 

7.  a'.  Is  there  opposition  to  the  church  in  the  community? 
b\  On  what  grounds? 

8.  a'.  Is  there  a  ministerial  association?  b\  Membership? 
c'.  Object?  d'.  Does  it  include  all  the  ministers  of  the  community? 
e\  Does  it  take  an  active  part  in  civic  movements?  f.  In  prevention 
of  disease?  g\  In  social  and  moral  prophilaxis? 

9.  To  what  portion  of  the  community  do  churches  feel  they  owe 
obligation?  Do  they  avoid  poor  districts? 

10.  a'.  What  methods  are  used  to  attract  the  different  members 
of  the  community?  b'.  Are  there  classes  or  groups  in  the  community 
which  are  not  reached  by  the  churches?  c'.  Describe  them. 

11.  What  additions  and  changes  are  needed  in  the  religious 
activity  in  your  community? 

12.  a'.  What  work  are  the  churches  doing  outside  of  their 
regular  religious  services?  b'.  Do  their  activities  extend  to  those  who  seem 
most  in  need  of  them,  or  to  their  own  members  only?  c'.  Do  churches  do 
any  training  for  actual  social  work?  d'.  Do  all  the  churches  cooperate 
with  the  charitable  societies?  If  any  do  not,  why  not?  e'.  In  what  lines 
are  the  churches  and  organizations  of  the  community  making  the  most 
marked  success? 

13.  a'.  Do  differences  between  churched  and  non-churched  and 
between  denominations  correspond  to  social  differences?  b'.  What  atti- 
tude do  the  workingmen  take  toward  the  church?  c'.  If  unfavorable,  why? 


COMMUNITY   SURVEY  69 

14.  a'.  Membership  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.? 
b\  Number  reached  by  their  activity?  c\  Nature  of  their  activities 
religious,  social,  and  other  weekly  meetings  or  lectures?  d'.  What  classes 
do  they  reach?  e\  Are  there  any  classes  which  they  do  not  reach?  Why? 

15.  a'.  What  is  the  total  membership  in  the  community  of 
churches  and  of  other  organizations  which  have  for  their  object  the 
religious  and  moral  betterment  of  the  community? 

16.  a'.  Are  they  united  in  their  efforts  to  rid  the  town  of  the 
saloon,  in  its  present  form?  b\  What  is  being  done  to  create  the  interest 
of  its  patrons  in  other  things  (by  Y.  M.  C.  A.  institutional  work  of 
churches,  etc.)? 

17.  What  survivals  are  there  of  superstition,  magic,  belief  in 
luck,  animism,  ghost-theory  and  taboo? 


CONCLUSION 

When  the  social  survey  of  a  community  has  been  completed;  when 
the  data  concerning  the  various  conditions  and  activities  have  been 
gathered  and  the  situation  in  all  its  complexities  has  been  thoroughly 
analyzed,  the  real  work  of  the  survey  has  just  begun.  For  if  nothing 
results  from  the  labor  expended  in  the  gathering  of  all  this  information 
concerning  the  living  conditions  and  activities  the  effort  put  forth  in 
making  the  survey  will  be  worse  than  wasted, — it  will  serve  as  a  deterrent 
to  any  future  work  of  this  kind.  The  real  problem  connected  with  such 
a  study  consists  in  the  formulation  of  a  constructive  policy  for  the  com- 
munity, in  all  its  various  aspects,  which  will  serve  as  the  basis  for  a  pro- 
gram of  development  extending  over  a  long  period  of  years. 

Since  cities  vary  so  greatly  in  their  general  composition  and  charac- 
teristics, no  single  scheme  of  survey  can  be  drawn  up  so  as  to  be  equally 
applicable  in  detail  to  all  communities,  but,  unity  of  method  is  necessary 
for  clearness  and  is  indispensable  for  comparison  of  conditions.  Without 
some  uniformity,  the  data  gathered  in  an  investigation  would  lose  all  of 
its  future  comparative  and  scientific  value.  The  scheme  here  proposed 
is  framed  only  as  a  basis  which  may  well  be  modified  when  applied  to 
widely  diversified  communities  without  destroying  its  worth  for  making 
comparisons  and  for  drawing  general  conclusions. 

It  has  been  the  purpose  of  this  paper,  first,  to  show  the  need  for 
comprehensive  social  surveys  of  urban  communities,  both  large  and 
small,  which  will  serve  as  the  basis  for  constructive  civic  development 
for  years  to  come.  Second,  to  classify  the  various  surveys  and  investi- 
gations which  have  been  made,  and  indicate  the  need  for  a  uniform  system 
of  surveys  in  order  that  the  benefits,  the  successes  and  the  failures  of 
studies  carried  on  all  over  the  country  might  have  a  basis  for  scientific 
comparison,  and  so  that  the  data  gathered  would  have  permanent  value. 
Third,  the  plan  of  a  comprehensive  scheme  of  surveys,  with  some  sugges- 
tions concerning  its  application  and  for  securing  the  necessary  informa- 
tion. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

General  Theory: 
Branford,  V.  V. 

"The  Sociological  Survey"  {The  Sociological  Reviav,  April,  1912). 
Daniels,  Professor. 

"Social  Surveys,  Reasons,  Methods  and  Results,"  National  Conference,  Cluirities 
and  Corrections,  1910. 
Devine,  E.  T. 

Misery  and  Its  Causes,  MacMillan  Co.,  1909. 
Fairlie,  J.  A. 

Municipal  Administration,  The  MacMillan  Co.,  1901. 
Giddings,  Franklin  H. 

Inductive  Sociology,  New  York,  1901. 
Gillin,  John  Lewis. 

"The  Social  Survey  and  the  Small  Community."     American  Journal  of  Sociology, 
Vol.  17,  March,  1912. 
Goodhue,  W.  F. 

Municipal  Government,  J.  Wiley  &  Sons,  New  York,  1900. 
Hayes,  Edward  C. 

"Classification  of  Social  Phenomena,"  American  Journal  of  Sociology,  Vol.  17,  July, 
September  and  November  1911. 

"Effects  of  Geographic  Condition  upon  Social  Realities"  American  Journal  of 
Sociology,  Vol.  19,  May,  1914. 
Palmer,  Dr.  George. 

"Survey  of  Small  Cities,"  World  Today,  Vol.  21,  p.  828,  1911. 
Riley,  Thomas  J. 

"Sociology  and  Social  Surveys",  American  Journal  Sociology,  Vol.  16. 
Rousiers,  Paul  de. 

"La  Science  Sociale"  Annals  American  Academy,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  20-46. 
Small  and  Vincent. 

Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Society,  New  York,  1894. 
Stuckenberg,  J.  H.  W. 

Introduction  to  Sociology,  New  York,  1898. 
Special  Studies: 
Addams,  Jane. 

Hull  House,  Maps  and  Charts,  Chicago,  1895. 
Addams,  Jane. 

The  Spirit  of  Youth  the  City  Streets,  New  York,  MacMillan,  1909. 
Allen,  W.  H. 

"How  to  Start  a  Survey  of  your  City's  Business  Methods,"  The  American  City, 
Vol.  8,  p.  252. 
Aronovici,  Carol. 

Knowing  One's  Community,  American  Unitarian  Society,  Boston. 
Birmingham  Survey,  The. 

The  Survey,  January  13,  1912. 


72  SOCIAL   SURVEYS   OF   URBAN   COMMUNITIES 

Byington,  Margaret. 

What  Social  Workers  Should  Know  About  Their  Own  Communities,  Russell  Sage 
Foundation,  1911,  2nd  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged,  1912. 
Bulletins  of  the  Milwaukee  Bureau  of  Efficiency  and  Economy,  1911-1912. 
Booth,  Charles. 

Life  and  Labors  of  the  People  of  London,  2nd  Edition,  London,  1889. 
Cheysson,  M. 

American  Journal  of  Sociology,  Vol.  V. 
Decker,  B.  O. 

"Municipal  Administration,"  In  The  Newburgh  Survey,  1913. 
Giddings,  Franklin  H. 

Principles  of  Sociology.     Readings,  Instruction  and  Summary  of  Theory,  New 
York,  1910. 
Gompers,  Samuel. 

"A  Living  Wage,"  American  Federal ionalist,  April,  1898. 
Harrison,  Shelby  M. 

Outline  of  Syracuse  Survey  (Manuscript  copy). 
Howarth,  Edward  G. 

West  Ham.  London,  1907. 
Henderson,  C.  R. 

Correction  and  Prevention,  Charities  Publication  Committee,  1910,  New  York. 
Appendix  to  Social  Elements,  Scribner  &  Sons,  1898. 
Catechism  for  Study  of  Social  Organization,  D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.,  1894. 
Jones,  T.  J. 

Sociology  of  a  New  York  City  Block,  MacMillan  &  Company,  1904. 
Kennedy,  J.  C. 

Study  of  Chicago  Stockyards  Community,  University  of  Chicago  Press,  1914. 
Kirk,  Wm. 

A  Modern  City,  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  Its  Activities,  Chicago,  1909. 
National  Conference,  Charities  and  Corrections, 
1906— pp.422,  432. 
1907— pp.132,  828-832. 
1908— pp.  234,  253. 
1909— pp.  107-118. 
Nearing,  Scott. 

Wages  in  the  United  Stales. 
Newburgh  Survey — Department  of  Survey  and  Exhibits,  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  1913. 
New  York  City,  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 

Department  of  Municipal  Audit  and  Examination;  Report  of  the  Office  of 
Commissioner  of  Accounts,  New  York  City,  New  York,  Bureau,  1907. 
Palmer,  G.  T. 

"The   Inefficiency   of   Municipal   Health   Departments."     The  American   City, 
August,  1911. 
Pittsburgh  Survey,  Six  Volumes,  Char.  Pub.  Com.,  105  E.  Twenty-second,  New  York, 

N.  Y. 
Survey,  The,  Vol.  26,  September  and  November  1911,  Vol.  25,  pp.  652. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  73 

"Sociological  and  Religious  Survey  of  Seventy  American  Cities"  Tlu-  Presbyterian 

Board,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  N.  Y.  1912. 
Vieller,  L. 

Housing  Reforms  (See  appendix)  New  York,  Char.  Pub.  Com.,  1910. 
Wilson,  Warren  H. 

Community  Study,  New  York,  1911. 

Quaker  Hill,  New  York,  1907. 
Williams,  J.  M. 

An  American  Town,  New  York,  1906. 
Woods,  R. 

Americans  in  Process,  Houghton,  Mifflin  Co.,  Boston,  and  New  York,  1902. 

The  City  Wilderness,  Houghton.  Mifflin,  1902. 
Woolston,  H.  B. 

ManhaUeniille,  Columbia  Studies,  Vol.  35. 


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